With A Little Help
by AwakeInMyDreams
Summary: Marinette and Adrien are destined to be together. We all know that. We also know that they'll never get there on their own. That all changes With A Little Help from the new girl in town. . . .This story is a response to the question: If you could be transported into Ladybug and Cat Noir's world, what would you do?
1. Chapter 1

"Marinette, wake up! You're going to be late. Again!"

"Aaah!"

Marinette rolled out of bed and onto the floor with a thud.

"Oh no, not again!" Marinette cried as she dressed in a hurry.

It was a typical morning in the life of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She scrambled to brush her teeth and grab her purse before heading downstairs to leave for school.

"Have a pastry! Straight out of the oven." Offered Marinette's dad, the greatest baker in all of Paris.

"Thanks Dad! The perfect breakfast for a girl on the move!"

She quickly kissed her father goodbye as she rushed out of the door and across the street to school!

"Breakfast for you too, Tikki!" Marinette said as she broke off a piece of the pastry and put it into her purse.

"Thank you, Marinette." Tikki replied with a full mouth. "You know, you should really get a better alarm clock."

The final bell blared as Marinette fell into her seat, beside her best friend Alya. She'd made it just in the nick of time. Ms. Bustier hadn't entered the classroom yet, and there was chatter all around.

"You know," Alya began.

"I know, I know," Said Marinette, cutting her off. "I should really get a better alarm clock."

Alya laughed.

While that does sound like a good idea, I was going to tell you that we're getting a new student today. I heard Principal Damocles telling Ms. Bustier that she'd be in our class."

"A new student? This late in the semester?" This puzzled Marinette since the semester was almost over, and it made more sense to just wait until school started back up after the break to enroll.

At that moment the door opened, and Ms. Bustier entered with the new girl in question. She was a bit on the shorter side and had long, curly hair tied up into a ponytail. Her large, almond eyes matched her complexion, which was a beautifully flawless brown with golden undertones. She wore dark blue jeans and an oversized black sweatshirt that depicted the night sky.

"Good Morning, class. This is our newest student." She turned to the girl, "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Hey everyone, I'm Meg!" she said as she flashed a smile and scanned the classroom, her eyes lingering on Adrien, just for a second, before sweeping to Marinette and then back around to the front.

Ms. Bustier continued, "Marinette, as class representative it will be your job to show her around later and help her settle in. I'm counting on you. And Meg, not to worry; you're in safe hands with Marinette. Okay class, let's get started."

 _I wonder why nobody told me she was coming,_ thought Marinette. Usually, as class rep, someone from the office would have told her a new student was arriving. That would've given her time to prepare a nice welcome. Marinette looked back at Meg, who had taken a seat in the back row next to the window. She was looking out of the window, but must have felt Marinette's eyes on her because she snapped her head back around to meet Marinette's staring eyes. Meg gave a smile and a small wave, and Marinette returned and embarrassed grin before turning around back in her seat just in time to catch a glimpse of Adrien sharpening his pencil.

 _Adrien,_ she sighed internally. With almost being late, and the talk of the new girl, Marinette almost forgot to complete her ritual daydreaming about her crush. _Even the way he sharpens his pencil is perfect._

She felt a nudge. It was Alya reminding her to pay attention to the lesson.

 _That's right! I'm still in class. What would I do without you, Alya?_ thought Marinette to herself giving a "thanks" smile to her bestie and focusing her attention on Ms. Bustier.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien was already seated when the final bell rang, and he saw Marinette plop down. _Typical Marinette,_ he thought as he smiled to himself. Everyone else was already in their seats chit chatting away as they waited for Ms. Bustier to arrive. This was a bit unusual, as Ms. Bustier was always in class before her students.

"Hey, Nino," Adrien turned to his bud, "Do you know what's going on?"

"I think I heard Alya say something about a new student. That's probably what's keeping Ms. B."

Just then, Ms. Bustier entered the room, with a girl they'd never seen before. _Nino was right. Or, I guess, Alya was right,_ thought Adrien. He was excited to have a new classmate and potential friend. New students were one of his favorite parts about getting to be in public school. _Perhaps father will let me hang out today, and I can invite her along,_ he thought as he took out a pencil to sharpen.

Class ended and everyone gathered around to meet the new girl, Meg. Adrien loved how friendly all of his classmates were as they introduced themselves—

"Oh who cares!"

—Everyone except for Chloe, of course.

"What's the point of introductions now at the end of the semester? Everyone will just forget who you are and have to do it all over when school begins again."

But that was just Chloe. She was always nice to Adrien, but he knew she could be pretty mean to, well, everyone else. He decided to step in before she went too far.

"I'm sure nobody will forget you, Meg. I'm Adrien." He began as he reached out to shake her hand. "And it's okay with me if you forget between now and next semester. I know starting at a new school can be a lot to take in."

"Thanks, Adrien." Said Meg, returning his handshake. "And thank you everyone else for being so welcoming. You don't have to worry about me forgetting any of your names."

Chloe rolled her eyes and exited the classroom with Sabrina following behind her.

"Well, now that you've met Chloe, the worst part of the tour is over." Adrien turned his head to see Marinette standing nearby. He almost didn't notice her there. "Now that class is over I can formally introduce myself. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the class representative and your guide."

"I'm Meg. But you already know that." She laughed a little bit. "I'm excited to be here."

The students that gathered around Meg had begun to disperse to their next classes. Adrien turned to Marinette, "Do you mind if I join you ladies on the tour? I have a free period."

Marinette stood there for a moment without saying anything.

"I don't mind if you don't, Marinette." Said Meg after an awkward silence. This seemed to wake Marinette up.

"Yes that sounds great. Like a great idea. A great way to make Meg feel welcome."

Adrien chuckled. He was used to Marinette sometimes going a little scatterbrained, but he was glad she said yes. He was the new kid not too long ago and was in a similar position. Except instead of being welcomed by everyone, he was almost instantly shunned for being friends with Chloe. He appreciated the irony as they walked through the halls, and Marinette gave Meg the layout of the school.

"So Meg, are you new to Paris?" He asked.

"Yes and no." She answered. "I haven't been here long, but I'm pretty familiar with it, I think."

"What's your favorite part about it so far?"

"Hmm, that's a tough one. I think it would have to be—

There was a loud crash from outside and they heard the sounds of people screaming. The three of them ran to the window to see what was going on. There were people running away from a giant Frog! It was knocking buildings over and catching people with its tongue!

"Ladybug and Cat Noir! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Frogzilla shot out its tongue and snatched up a few more people!

"IS HE EATING THEM?!" Yelled Meg.

Adrien had never seen akumatized villains eat people before. He knew he had to transform and get out there right away.

"We should move away from the windows, in case he spots us." He said as he tried to think of a way to get away from the girls.

"Wait, look!" Marinette pointed at Frogzilla. He'd opened his mouth again, and out came the people he had just devoured. Only, they were different. "He turned them into frogs."

"Well that's one more reason not to stick around. Come on guys, we'd better split up." This came from Meg. Adrien was relieved to not have to think up an excuse to bail. _I have no idea how I would've gotten out of that one,_ he thought.

"Great idea!" he and Marinette exclaimed at the same time!

They exited the classroom and each went a separate direction. Adrien checked around to see if the coast was clear before ducking into a nearby broom closet.

"Plagg, we've got trouble."

"But I was just about to take my mid morning nap."

"You can sleep after we kick some akuma butt. Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"


	3. Chapter 3

Class ended and students gathered around to introduce themselves to Meg. Marinette decided it would be a good idea to let the commotion die down a bit before formally introducing herself and starting the tour. She was packing her bag when she heard Chloe's voice. Marinette knew right away that whatever words coming out of Chloe's mouth probably weren't very nice ones, and that's no way to be treated on your first day of a new school. She began making her way over to the situation, but before she could say anything, Adrien stepped in.

 _Adrien,_ she mused, _always so kind to others. That's why he's a 10x better person than Chloe._

"Well, now that you've met Chloe, the worst part of the tour is over." She said. "Now that class is over I can formally introduce myself. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the class representative and your guide."

The girls exchanged pleasantries and were just about to leave the classroom when Adrien asked if he could tag along. Marinette was stunned. Somehow after seeing him around every day, he still had that effect on her.

 _Yes of course, you can come along!_ Marinette thought she'd answered out loud, but apparently not since she heard only heard Meg's voice in response.

Marinette piped up, "Yes that sounds great. Like a great idea. A great way to make Meg feel welcome." _Well at least the words make sense this time,_ she thought to herself as she internally face-palmed.

They were walking along the halls when they heard a loud crash and screams come from outside. Marinette knew right away that it couldn't be anything good. She was right! Outside someone had been akumatized into a gigantic frog!

"Ladybug and Cat Noir! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

 _This is not good! I need to transform!_ Marinette thought as she tried to find a reason to leave the room.

"IS HE EATING THEM?!" Yelled Meg.

Marinette couldn't believe it. Akuma victims had never eaten people before. _Would my Lucky Charm be able to fix that?_ As she pondered this question she heard Adrien yell out,

"We should move away from the windows, in case he spots us."

But before she could move, Marinette noticed something. "Wait, look. He turned them into frogs." Relief washed over her as she realized the people hadn't been eaten. _That's a question that I should ask Master Fu, for future reference._

"Well that's one more reason not to stick around." Yelled, Meg. "Come on guys, we'd better split up."

"Great idea!"

They each ran a different direction away from the classroom. Marinette was grateful for the chance to leave without having to make up some obscure excuse. She was a little worried, though, about leaving the new student all alone.

 _"_ What a terrible first day of school, Tikki! She's probably really scared, and I'm supposed to be her go-to person!"

"There's no time to think about that, Marinette. You have to transform before anything worse happens!"

She nodded. "You're right. Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

* * *

Paris had turned into a swamp by the time Ladybug arrived. The streets were mostly water and cars had been turned to giant lily pads. The buildings were made to look like trees and were now covered in vines. Cat Noir landed on a lily pad right next to Ladybug.

"Toad-ally nice to see you, M'lady!"

 _Ugh,_ she thought, _this wasn't the time for his silly puns._ "Cat Noir, we don't have time to play games. Paris is under attack!"

"Under a canopy is more like it. Sheesh! Look at this place."

 _He's right; Paris is a mess,_ she thought. "But where is Frogzilla?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lady Bug saw something moving towards them, and fast!

"Cat Noir, look out!" Frogzilla's tongue just barely missed them as it zoomed by!

"I bet you'll taste delicious, Ladybug! Much better than any normal fly!" Frogzilla said before splashing back underwater.

"Steer clear of his tongue." Ladybug warned, "He turns people into frogs!"

"Got it! Any idea where the akuma is hiding?"

She looked around for any clues. "Not yet, keep an eye out."

Frogzilla hopped up out of the water and high into the air. Something glinted in the light. It was a necklace.

"Cat Noir, there!" She pointed up, "The akuma must be in his necklace."

Frogzilla crash-landed on a lily pad, causing enormous waves that nearly knocked them off of their feet.

"How are we going to get to it?" Cat Noir asked.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir, give me your miraculous and things will go swimmingly!"

"Hey, puns are my job!"

"Cat Noir, focus! Help me lure him to the dry side of the city. We'll have a better chance where we can stand on solid ground."

Cat Noir extended his staff and pole-vaulted himself through the marshy streets and Ladybug swung on her yo-yo toward the part of Paris that was not yet transformed into Frogzilla's swamp.

"Not so fast you two!" screamed Frogzilla as he whipped out his tongue trying to catch them! Everything his tongue touched turned into part of the swamp.

"We'd better hurry Ladybug or there won't be any Paris left!" Cat Noir said frantically.

"I'm thinking!" she replied, racking her brain.

"I've got an idea! Follow me!" Cat Noir led Ladybug through an alley that was too narrow for Frogzilla to follow, and they were quickly out of sight.

Cat Noir checked to make sure the coast was clear before telling LB his plan, "We can only see his necklace when he hops, right? So we're going to have to get under him somehow."

"But how are we going to do that?" Ladybug was looking around for ideas when suddenly the building next to her turned into a tree, and was yanked out of the ground.

"I found you! Your miraculous are mine!" Frogzilla sent his tongue flying toward Ladybug, but Cat Noir intercepted with his staff, turning it into a vine at the touch of Frogzilla's tongue.

"Well, there goes my plan." Said CN.

"Thanks, Cat Noir! _" That was a close one, but now you're out of a weapon._ Out of options, Ladybug called on her power.

"LUCKY CHARM!"

After the short animation sequence, a large tube of Super Glue fell into her hands.

"Glue? What am I supposed to do with this?" She looked around to find the other tools she would need to bring down Frogzilla. "That's it! Cat Noir, follow me!"

Ladybug and Cat Noir raced toward the Eiffel Tower with Frogzilla following closely behind. They scaled up to the second level, and Cat Noir quickly caught on to Ladybug's plan.

"Here froggy, froggy." Cat Noir taunted as Ladybug squirted out the glue. She loved how he always seemed to be able to read her mind.

Frogzilla climbed up the sides of the Tower, thinking he had them trapped.

"You've got nowhere to run." said he before hurling his tongue at them.

They quickly dodged his attack and his tongue stuck to the side of the Eiffel Tower. He was stuck with his belly and the necklace in full view.

"Cat Noir, now!" yelled Ladybug to her partner.

"CATACLYSM."

Cat Noir destroyed the necklace, unleashing the akuma for Ladybug to capture.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried as she threw the super glue into the air and changed everything back to normal, including Cat Noir's staff.

"Pound it."

It was their custom. After a long fight, and perfect teamwork, they bumped fists. It was just another day in the lives of these super heroes. Ladybug was so glad to have Cat Noir as her partner and couldn't imagine fighting villains without him. She remembered the other fights they had this week, not much different from this one. Each time, they executed the plan perfectly like they shared a brain. In that moment she was really glad to have him, even with his corny puns.

"Thanks for always having my back, Cat Noir."

"Anything for you, M'lady." Cat Noir replied with a short bow.

Her earrings began beeping, letting her know she only had a short amount of time before turning back into Marinette. There never seemed to be enough time to catch her breath after a fight.

"Bug out!" she said as she swung out. _I hope he knows how much I truly appreciate him._


	4. Chapter 4

Paris was a disaster zone. Cat Noir landed gracefully, as only a cat can, on a lily pad next to Ladybug. _She looks exceptionally beautiful today,_ he thought.

"Toad-ally nice to see you, M'lady!"

"Cat Noir, we don't have time to play games. Paris is under attack!"

That was one of the only times Cat Noir got to see Ladybug—when Paris was under threat of an akuma or on patrols. He didn't mind it so much. He knew they'd capture it and make a great team while doing so.

"Cat Noir, look out!"

He jumped out of the way just in time. _Thanks bugaboo,_ he thought. She hated when he called her that, so he tried not to say out loud too much. But still, he thought it was kind of cute.

"Steer clear of his tongue." Ladybug warned, "He turns people into frogs!"

Cat Noir already knew that, thanks to Marinette back in the classroom. What he didn't know was how to stop this thing.

"Got it! Any idea where the akuma is hiding?"

Ladybug spotted a necklace that Frogzilla was wearing. The akuma had to be in there. They lured Frogzilla away and managed to sneak into an alley. Cat Noir knew exactly how they'd get to his necklace. _I'll extend my staff under Frogzilla allowing Ladybug to crawl under and release the akuma._ But before he had a chance to reveal his plan to Ladybug, Frogzilla ripped their hiding place to pieces and attacked her.

 _No!_ With his cat like reflexes, he extended his staff to save Ladybug. He didn't care that it turned into a vine, as long as she was safe. _I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to her._

Ladybug's Lucky Charm was a tube of super glue. As they raced toward the Eiffel tower, Cat Noir was catching onto Ladybug's plan. He loved the way they worked harmoniously together. _We really are the perfect team._

And her plan worked perfectly, just as he knew it would.

"Thanks for always having my back, Cat Noir."

"Anything for you, M'lady." Cat Noir replied with a short bow.

He really did mean anything. He watched as she headed off to wherever it was that she goes when she isn't Ladybug anymore. _One day I'll find out who's under that mask._

Cat Noir waited a moment before heading home after a long day of school and crime fighting. He'd wanted to hang out earlier, but now he just really wanted to get into bed. He got home, got ready for bed, and was about to slide under the covers when he remembered he hadn't checked the Ladyblog yet. He always checked it after a fight to see if Alya got anything good. There were some awesome shots of him and Ladybug battling Frogzilla, but nothing unlike any other fight. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep as Plagg helped himself to a container of Camembert.

* * *

A whole day of school managed to pass by without another akuma attack. It seemed like a smooth sailing day until he walked out into the courtyard to find a crowd gathered around Alya and Meg who were arguing very loudly.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir are NOT in love!" Alya was adamant. " I would KNOW. I've been following them on my blog for what feels like should've been three seasons already!"

"Which is exactly why it's hilarious to me that you DON'T know. Sometimes you can be so blind Alya." Shouted Meg.

"How would you even know? You just got here." Alya shouted back

Meg laughed. "I know things. Also, I've been a Ladyblog subscriber since the beginning."

Alya was a tad speechless. This news seemed to bring the energy back down to a simmer.

"C'mon Alya," Meg continued in a nicer tone, "can't you tell just by the way they look at each other?" She sighed and had a dreamy look on face.

Alya rolled her eyes. "That's called friendship. Boys and girls can be friends with each other without falling in love, you know."

Adrien did know. He was in love with Ladybug but she only saw him as a good friend. It wasn't the first time he'd heard rumors about Ladybug and Cat Noir being in love, and while he wished they were true, Meg's statements missed the mark just like everyone else's.

Alya continued, "and besides! If you really did follow my blog you'd know that Ladybug already denied the rumors. You're just another Lila."

This stunned Adrien. While Meg, wouldn't know who Lila was, he certainly did. Lila was new to school, but left immediately out of humiliation after being called out on all of her impulsive lies. He couldn't believe Alya was calling her a liar. Right before he could say anything to control the situation, Meg replied to Alya's accusation.

"I'm not a liar. I just know things. And something I know is that Ladybug and Cat Noir are in love, even if Ladybug doesn't want to admit it to herself, yet. She's in love with him. And there's no denying that he's in love with her."

Two questions popped into Adrien's head. One, _how did Meg know what Alya meant when she called her a Lila?_ Two, _could it be possible? Could Ladybug really be in love with Cat Noir, I mean, me?_ The second is a question that he thought about often, but Ladybug _had_ told him that there was another boy in her life. _Maybe Meg was just wrong,_ he thought, _like most people hoping to get us together. Most people_ _like me._

Just then, Marinette stepped into the circle to break them up.

"Okay ladies let's calm down, or we just might end up with a chance to ask them, ourselves."

Meg giggled, "I am calm. Don't take it personally Alya. I just know." Meg extended her hand toward Alya in an act of truce. Alya reluctantly accepted.

"Great!" Marinette exclaimed. "Now that we're all friends again, let's go see the new exhibit at the museum. Alya and I planned this a few weeks ago, but you're welcome to tag along, Meg."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks!"

The museum did sound like a lot of fun, and Nino had mentioned wanting to go see the new exhibit. _I wonder if the girls will mind if we join._ Before he could approach to ask, Adrien's phone starting ringing in his pocket. It was his bodyguard calling to see why he hadn't come out of school since the 20 minutes it had been over. Sighing he turned and went out to his car. _I guess I'll just do homework tonight._

* * *

Adrien finished all of his homework, ate his dinner alone, and practiced his piano. Now all that was left to do was kill time before bed. He was sitting at his desk, scrolling through old pictures on the Ladyblog when Plagg floated up beside him.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Nothing really, I just cant get what Meg said earlier out of my head."

"What, that Ladybug is in love with you?"

"I know; it's ridiculous. But what if she's right? What if Ladybug just hasn't admitted it to herself?"

"Well then what makes you think she'll admit it to you?" Plagg yawned, the smell of cheese on his breath.

Adrien sighed. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she was right. Either way, the thought gave him just a little bit more hope that maybe one day he'd have his chance with Ladybug. He decided to call it a night and turned off his computer.


	5. Chapter 5

Even after a long night's rest, Marinette still managed to be late to school the next day. Mr. Damocles told her that she had to serve 15 minutes of detention after school for all of the tardiness.

"Can you believe it, Tikki? I can save all of Paris, and I still get after-school detention."

"Being a masked hero is a thankless job." Tikki replied.

Marinette gathered her books after her 15-minute sentence was over. She checked her phone to see if she had any messages.

"What's the matter?" Tikki asked.

"I text Alya to see if we were still going to the museum after school today, but she hasn't text me back."

"Maybe her phone died."

Marinette laughed, "Alya letting her phone die? Haha good one, Tikki."

Marinette walked out into the courtyard and found Alya— only she was in a heated argument with Meg.

"Not good, Tikki." Marinette hurried over to see what the fuss was about.

"C'mon Alya, can't you tell just by the way they look at each other?" Meg sighed and had a dreamy look on face.

Alya rolled her eyes. "That's called friendship. Boys and girls can be friends with each other without falling in love, you know."

 _I wonder who they're talking about,_ Marinette thought.

Alya continued, "and besides! If you really did follow my blog you'd know that Ladybug already denied the rumors. You're just another Lila."

 _Ladybug? What rumors? What's going on?_

"I'm not a liar. I just know things. And something I know is that Ladybug and Cat Noir are in love, even if Ladybug doesn't want to admit it to herself, yet. She's in love with him. And there's no denying that he's in love with her."

 _Waah! Ladybug in love with Cat Noir? Meg has her wires crossed!_ Marinette knew she had to stop this conversation dead in its tracks. In no way was she in love with Cat Noir, and she did not want those rumors starting back up again. There was even an akuma attack the last time that this happened.

Marinette stepped into the circle to break them up. "Okay ladies let's calm down, or we just might end up with a chance to ask them, ourselves." Marinette looked at the girls expectantly.

"I am calm." Meg giggled, "Don't take it personally Alya. I just know." Meg extended her hand toward Alya in an act of truce. Alya reluctantly accepted.

Meg certainly did not know, and she didn't seem to be lying about knowing this information directly from Ladybug, like Lila was. She was just maybe a little misinformed. After all, she was new in town and _everyone_ has thought about Ladybug and Cat Noir being in love once or twice, right? Marinette did not want to make the same mistake she made with Lila.

"Great!" Marinette exclaimed. "Now that we're all friends again, let's go see the new exhibit at the museum. Alya and I planned this a few weeks ago, but you're welcome to tag along, Meg."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks!"

"That's today?" asked Alya. "My parents asked me to watch the twins after school today. I totally forgot about the Museum and told them yes."

Marinette was surprised at Alya, since it was usually Marinette doing all of the forgetting. "That's okay Alya, we can go tomorrow instead."

"Nora has a fight tomorrow that she asked me to come see. You guys just go ahead to the museum without me."

Marinette didn't really want to go without Alya since it was originally Alya's idea to go in the first place, but she also didn't want to just abandon the girl she just invited out. She felt like she just created a really awkward situation.

"It's okay, Alya. We won't go without you. I'd hate to come in and take over your plans with your best friend." Meg said, smiling. She seemed so genuinely nice. There was no way she was anything like Lila.

"Thanks you guys! Well I gotta get going before I'm late!" Alya turned and was about to leave, but after a moment turned back and said, "Meg, I'm sorry for calling you a Lila. Even if you are wrong about Ladybug and Cat Noir."

They laughed and Alya left to go home. Marinette was also about to leave when Meg stopped her.

"Hey, Marinette. I know we can't go to the museum, but would you like to do something else instead?"

Since her plans with Alya had just been canceled, Marinette had a bit of free time on her hands. At least if nobody was akumatized in the mean time.

"Okay, where do you want to go?"

Meg laughed, "You tell me, I just moved here. Where are the best, non-tourist-y spots to go?"

Marinette laughed too. She knew every inch of Paris from saving it every day and had the perfect hang out for a new Parisian. "I think I have something in mind."

* * *

The girls hung out for a couple of hours as Marinette showed Meg the least tourist-y things she could think of. But lets be honest, Paris is beautiful. Every inch is worth being toured, and almost all of it is. But they made due nonetheless. Meg turned out to have a pretty strong sense of humor, and Marinette couldn't stop laughing. Marinette told her about how she wanted to be a fashion designer and makes her own designs, and Meg told her about how she plans to become a photographer and open her own studio.

"And when I open my own studio," Meg was saying, "I can photograph people modeling your designs. We can work together!"

"That sounds like a great idea, Meg." Marinette was really glad that she'd decided to give Meg a chance.

The sun was beginning to set, and Meg sighed. She looked disappointed.

"What's the matter?" asked Marinette?

"Well it's getting late and I thought….", she laughed a little "Well I shouldn't hope people get akumatized, but I was hoping to see Ladybug and Cat Noir."

Marinette looked up. It had been a quiet day.

Meg continued, "I'm glad they got to have the day off though. They work really hard, and they deserve it."

Marinette knew everyone loved Ladybug and Cat Noir, but it was still nice to hear them being appreciated, even when they weren't in action.

"Yeah me too," said Marinette. She laughed, remembering Meg's earlier conversation with Alya.

"What's funny?" Meg wanted to know.

"Oh nothing."

"Now you have to tell me. C'mon!" Meg hated being left out of a good joke.

"Oh it's nothing, really. I just remembered when you were talking to Alya earlier and you said Ladybug was in love with Cat Noir. It made me laugh."

"You don't think Ladybug is in love with Cat Noir?" Meg asked with a smirk.

"No way! She just really respects him." Marinette smiled, thinking about how Cat Noir always has her back. He really was awesome, but she wasn't in love with him or anything.

"But you're not denying that Cat Noir is in love with Ladybug." noted Meg.

Marinette hesitated. She knew it was very much true. She'd already told Cat Noir how much his friendship meant to her, and she wanted to tell him about Adrien, but she couldn't risk revealing her identity. _Still,_ she thought, _he does love me. Ladybug, I mean. He doesn't even know me._ And anyway even if it was true, she couldn't admit to knowing something like that.

"You heard Alya," Marinette said, "Ladybug denied the rumors in an exclusive Ladyblog interview."

"Interview schminterview," Meg replied, "I know Cat Noir loves Ladybug, and no matter what her words say, I know Ladybug loves him back. The evidence is all there."

"What evidence?" Marinette was getting worried. _What if I'm sending Cat Noir the wrong message?_

"Well I guess evidence might be the wrong word. It's more like a feeling I have when I see them together. They way they work so well together—the chemistry."

"It sounds like _you're_ in love with them." Marinette giggled.

Meg pushed her playfully, "Oh come on. Why wouldn't she love him? He's smart, funny, kind, trustworthy, reliable, I mean come on, he'd do anything for her."

 _Meg has a point,_ Marinette thought. _Cat Noir is all of those things_. _And he is very dear to me, but we're just friends. He understands that. He knows that I'd do anything for him too. We trust each other._

"Oh and not to mention he's super gorgeous!" Meg finished.

"What?!" This surprised Marinette. She'd never really given any thought to his looks since she only has eyes for Adrien. And he has the mask, so she can't really see his features anyway. "But you don't even know what he looks like."

Meg started laughing, really hard. "Omg Marinette, you crack me up."

Marinette was confused as to what was so funny. Was Meg only joking?

"I'm literally dead, L.M.A.O." Meg said when she could breathe again, "Golly that was funny. Well look it's pretty dark out now. Thanks for hanging out with me."

The girls stood up to leave, Marinette unsure of what to make of what just happened. "No problem, Meg. You turned out to be very good company."

Meg smiled, "I'll see you at school." She waved and the girls parted ways.

Marinette walked home and thought about the low-danger day she just had. She was glad to have made a new friend, even if that friend was a little bit crazy.

"You're awfully quiet, Marinette." Tikki peeked out from inside of Marinette's purse.

"I'm just thinking; that's all."

"About what Meg said about you and Cat Noir?"

"A little bit. Mostly about the part where she said he's in love with me." Marinette was thinking about the night Cat Noir visited her roof after she accidentally stood him up.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do about it Tikki? I already told him there was someone else." _Adrien._ Sure, Cat Noir was all of those things that Meg mentioned, but so was Adrien. Kind, funny, smart, trustworthy. That's why she loved him.


	6. Chapter 6

_Ladybug is amazing_ , thought Cat Noir. He watched as she spun her yo-yo so fast that it created a shield. He loved it when she did that. They were fighting yet another goo-throwing super villain.

"Why does Hawk Moth always make them throw goo at us?" he complained.

"What's the matter, Kitty? Worried it'll get stuck in your fur?" Ladybug teased. "C'mon, let's tie up our loose ends." She began circling the villain with her yo-yo to tie her up.

Cat Noir really admired Ladybug and the way she always took charge. She was strong and clever and always full of ideas.

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma."

Cat Noir watched as Ladybug caught the akuma and de-evilized it. The sun shined on her at just the right angle while her miraculous fixed all of the damage that had been done. He extended his fist toward her for their usual fist bump, but what she said next caught him off guard.

"Actually Cat Noir, I was thinking we could try something new." Ladybug closed her eyes and leaned in toward him.

He was frozen in shock.

"Go on, what are you waiting for?" Plagg floated up next to him.

"Plagg? How are you here?"

"Cat Noir, aren't you going to kiss me?" said Ladybug. Her miraculous started beeping on its last dot.

"Ladybug, you're about to transform back!"

"It's okay, Cat Noir. I trust you." Cat Noir's world started spinning. What was going on?

Adrien opened his eyes. _What a weird dream,_ he thought. It wasn't exactly his first dream about Ladybug, but he never got over how weird they could be. Adrien got out of bed and started getting ready for school.

"Another Ladybug dream?" yawned Plagg.

"How did you know?" asked Adrien.

"You talk in your sleep. Makes it hard for a cat to get his beauty rest." Plagg rolled over and went back to sleep.

* * *

"You'll have one week to have the assignment completed and handed in." Mrs. Mendeleiv was assigning a new project. "You'll work in pairs."

Nino and Adrien high fived. Class projects were awesome because they gave Adrien the perfect excuse to hang out at Nino's house.

"I'll call out the names of the students I paired together, and you will come get your assignment. Everyone is working with a new partner that they haven't worked with before."

The whole class groaned. _I guess I won't be hanging out at Nino's place, after all,_ Adrien thought. He always worked on projects with Nino, but now he wondered who he would be paired with instead.

"Mrs. Mendeleiv, I can't work with anyone but Sabrina," said Chloe, of course.

"No exceptions. I've already decided who will be partnered with who." She stood at the front of the class, calling up two students at a time. Each pair went to the front when their names were called.

"Nino and Alya,

Kim and Chloe,

Juleka and Ivan,

Mylene and Rose,

Marinette and Max,

Alix and Sabrina,

Adrien and Meg.

I want you all seated next to your partner for the duration of this assignment starting tomorrow. You are dismissed."

There was a lot of groaning and muttering coming from the students. Almost nobody seemed to be happy with having a new partner, except for maybe Nino and Alya. Adrien didn't mind either. He was happy to have a chance to work with Meg. They hadn't talked since her first day when there was an akuma attack, and he had to leave to transform. He walked over to her desk where she was packing her books into her bag.

"Looks like we'll be partners," he said to her.

"Looks like it. I hope you're good at science."

"I know a thing or two," Adrien said as they walked out of class together.

"When do you want to start working on it?" she asked him.

"How about we meet in the library today after school?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Awesome. See you after school then." They parted ways, each to their next class.

* * *

The end of the day finally rolled around and Adrien headed to the library to work on the assignment with Meg. She waived him over to where she was seated.

"So, are you ready to get started?" she asked him.

"You bet." He said as he sat down.

She pulled out her book from her backpack, and a picture of Ladybug fell out and onto the floor.

"You dropped this," he said as he bent to pick it up. It was an amazing shot. "Wow, did you take this picture?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, thanks." she said taking the photo back. "I'm sort of a photographer."

"That's awesome. You're really talented."

"Thanks. Would you like to see some of my other work?"

"Sure!"

Meg pulled out a small portfolio from her bag, and presented it to Adrien. He took a look through it, admiring the images that she'd captured. There were photos of just about anything you could imagine, some in color and some in black and white. He turned the page and was met with photos of himself and Ladybug.

"My latest project," she said. "Cat Noir and Ladybug. Aren't they just amazing? The heroes I mean, not the photos."

Adrien laughed, "Don't worry, the photos are amazing too."

Meg turned the page. "This is my favorite one. It's hard to get photos like these during a fight. But if I'm lucky, I can snag a really good shot afterwards."

It was an extreme close up of Ladybug, and she had the most delicate smile on her face. There was a look in her eye that made his heart skip.

"I remember the day I took this," Meg said gazing at the photo. "I hadn't heard what Cat Noir said to her before he left, but the look on her face gives me a pretty good idea."

 _Something I said to her?_ Adrien was in awe. He'd seen plenty of pictures of Ladybug, but this one captured something about her that he'd never seen in any photo before. And to think, this look was because of him. He remembered what Meg had said the day before.

"Do you really think Ladybug is in love with him?" he asked handing her back the portfolio.

"Oh, I'm sure of it. She just won't let herself see it right now."

"What do you mean?" Adrien was confused.

"Well I can't really explain it, but I'm sure she'll figure it out one of these days." Meg grabbed turned to a fresh page in her notebook. "Are you ready to start the project?"

They worked in the library for about an hour. Adrien was glad that Meg was good at science, because he could barely concentrate. His mind kept drifting to that photo of Ladybug, wondering what exactly it was that he'd said to her to make her smile like that.

"I think that's enough for today," said Meg interrupting his thoughts. "We can meet up again tomorrow."

"Yeah. And I'll try to be more focused." He said, feeling a little guilty.

"Lol, don't sweat it. I'll see ya then." Meg gathered her belongings into her backpack and left.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette really wanted to be paired up with Adrien for the project, and then she could sit next to him for a whole week! But hey, at least she got paired with the smartest kid in school. Maybe they could finish the project early and have free time instead.

"Hey Max," Marinette walked over to him when class was over, "Do you want to work on the project after school today?"

"Certainly! We'll meet in the school library. See you later, Marinette." Max exited the classroom and Marinette waited for Alya to finish talking to Nino.

"Hey, sorry that took so long. We were just deciding on a time to meet up and get started on the project." Alya said when she finally joined her bff.

"This project was the perfect opportunity to have an excuse to hang out with Adrien. I wish we would've been paired together like you and Nino." Marinette sighed as they walked to their lockers together.

"Project or no project, if you want to hang out with him, just ask him to hang out!" Alya said as if it weren't already obvious.

They reached their lockers and began switching their books out. "Yeah I know, but you know his father rarely lets him out of the house. This way he wouldn't have been able to say no."

Marinette closed her locker and saw Meg opening hers. _Lucky girl. She gets to sit next to Adrien for a whole week._

"Hey Meg."

"Oh hey, Marinette. Alya. What's up?"

"Not much. We were just talking about the science project." Marinette said.

"I'm kind of looking forward to it. Science is actually pretty fun, and if there's anything I'm good at, it's chemistry." Meg replied with a wink.

 _What is that supposed to mean? Chemistry? With Adrien!_ Thought Marinette, frantically.

"Well I have to go if I'm going to have time to change for P.E. see you girls later!" Meg went in the direction of the gym class locker rooms.

Immediately Marinette turned to Alya.

"Did you hear that Alya?! She's good at chemistry." Marinette put air quotes around the last word.

"Yeah? That's what class the project is for." Alya was a bit confused.

"But she WINKED, Alya." Said Marinette, and when Alya still seemed confused she went on, "There's chemistry, and there's _chemistry._ Adrien is her partner and she WINKED when she said she was good at _chemistry_!" Marinette was frazzled.

"You're being ridiculous, girl." Alya was starting to catch on.

"Don't you see Alya! She's going to try to use this project as a way to get close to the love of my life!"

"You mean like you wanted to?" Alya quipped.

"That's different," said Marinette, "he's MY crush!"

Marinette could see it all now: her worst fears coming to life. Meg and Adrien would hit it off during the project, date for the rest of school. And the next year. And the next until graduation. They would go away to college together. They'd come back and get married and have kids and have a hamster!

"Well then you'd better hurry up and tell him how you feel before another girl does." Alya said as she left to go to her next class.

 _I've tried!_ Marinette whispered internally. She dragged her feet to her next class as she thought about all of the times she tried so much as speaking to Adrien, and her sentences came out as mush. Sure, she was getting a little bit better at talking to him, but to tell him that she was in love with him was a whole other thing altogether.

* * *

The bell rang and Marinette grabbed books out of her locker before heading to the library to meet Max and start working on the project. Of course Max was already there with his books spread out and notes piled high. _I wish I were good at at least one kind of chemistry,_ thought Marinette as she put on a smile and dove into work with Max.

A little while later, Max declared them finished with work for the day. Marinette was relieved. All of this worrying about Adrien and Meg had her stomach in knots. She just wanted to get home and clear her mind for a bit before her patrol later that night.

Marinette was so focused on her internal drama that she didn't notice the person right in front of her before it was too late.

OOF!

She ran headfirst into whoever it was, spilling both of their belongings all over the floor.

"Sorry! I'm so clumsy." She said, bending down to grab the books and papers off of the floor.

"It's okay Marinette; it's part of your charm."

A familiar face knelt beside her helping to pick up the mess she made. A familiar, handsome face. A familiarly handsome face with the greenest eyes a girl had ever seen. And he smelled so…so…radiant. Carefree. Dreamy.

"Adrien, the fragrance."

She saw the handsome face look confused as she realized she'd said those words aloud.

"W-what I meant was: is that your cologne I smell, Adrien? The fragrance in the air?"

He chuckled. "Oh yeah, I forgot I was wearing it."

"It smells new, different from what you usually wear. Trying to impress a cute girl?" she giggled a little, vaguely aware that she'd just said she knows what his usual cologne smells like.

"Just the lady who does my laundry," he laughed "It's either this or stinky cheese."

"Cheese?" Now it was Marinette's turn to be confused.

"Uh, it's just a little joke." Adrien quickly said. "So were you working on your project with Max?"

"Yes, I was. I'm lucky to have him as a partner, because he understands the assignment a lot more than I do." _Although I probably would've understood it better had I been able to actually focus on it instead of think about you the whole time._

"You sound like me with Meg. She's pretty good at chemistry from what I've seen so far. I'll admit though, I was a bit too distracted to be much help anyway."

"Oh, really? Distracted how?" _Oh she's good at chemistry all right. She's funny, smart, and now distracting, too._

"Well she showed me these amazing photos that she took, and I couldn't get my mind off of them."

"What kind of photos?" _WHAT KIND OF PHOTOS?!_

"She's a photographer, so all kinds, really. But there were some of Ladybug and Cat Noir that were pretty awesome. She's really talented." Marinette noticed that he had a really dreamy look in his eye. _Oh no, it's worse than I thought!_

"You know," Adrien continued, "You should talk to Alya about looking at her photos and seeing if she'd like to use them for the Ladyblog."

"That's a good idea." Marinette tried her hardest to crack a smile.

There was a buzzing sound, and Adrien pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"That's my bodyguard. It was nice talking to you, Marinette. See you later."

Marinette waved until he was no longer in sight, then her shoulders slumped.

* * *

She climbed the stairs to her room, and collapsed onto her bed. What a mentally draining day. Tikki floated up beside her.

"Are you okay, Marinette?"

"This is a disaster, Tikki! She hasn't even been here for a whole week and she's managed to sweep Adrien off of his feet."

"Don't you think you're over reacting a bit?" Tikki asked, always the voice of reason.

"You didn't see the way he looked when he talked about her. I don't think I've ever seen that look on his face. And," Marinette indicated all of the photos around her, "I've seen a lot of looks on his face."

"It sounded to me like he just admired her work. But if you're so worried about it, why don't you send him a text?"

"And say what? 'Hey, Adrien just wondering if you fell in love with the new girl?'" she groaned.

"Or you could say 'Hey'."

Marinette looked at her phone as it sat next to her. She reached to pick it up, and it buzzed with a new message. She and Tikki exchanged glances at the coincidence. It was a text from a number she didn't recognize.

 **[1 382 472 2990] Hey, Marinette! It's Meg. I forgot to get your number after we hung out yesterday, so I asked Adrien for it. I hope that's cool!**

"It's Meg," she told Tikki.

 **[MARINETTE] It's cool. What's up?**

 **[MEG] Not much. Do you have plans tonight?**

She had patrols with Cat Noir later, but she couldn't exactly say that.

 **[MARINETTE] Sort of, I have plans for a quiet night in. It was a long day.**

 **[MEG] Okay, no sweat! Well, you have my number now. Text me sometime!**

 **[MARINETTE] Will do!**

"She seems like a really nice girl. Maybe you should tell her about your crush on Adrien, and she'll understand." said Tikki.

"Maybe."

Marinette didn't want to think about it any more. She was looking forward to patrolling with Cat Noir later that night to help get her mind off of the whole situation.


	8. Chapter 8

Adrien gathered his books and was still standing at his table after Meg left. He was thinking about seeing Ladybug later that night.

"You know, Plagg, they say a picture is worth a thousand words."

"And what are the words worth if she never says them?"

Adrien rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to text his bodyguard to come pick him up. As he was turning to exit the library, Marinette barreled straight into him.

"Sorry! I'm so clumsy." She said, bending down to grab the books and papers off of the floor.

"It's okay Marinette; it's part of your charm."

He knelt beside her, helping to pick up the mess. It seemed she was always dropping things, but it was kind of endearing.

"Adrien, the fragrance."

He looked at Marinette, confused as to what she meant. He didn't smell anything.

"W-what I meant was: is that your cologne I smell, Adrien? The fragrance in the air?"

He chuckled. "Oh yeah, I forgot I was wearing it."

He generally wore cologne, but he ran out of his normal bottle and just used some of the Adrien fragrance that he had lying around. There was plenty of it piled in his house.

"It smells new, different from what you usually wear. Trying to impress a cute girl?" she giggled a little.

 _I hadn't considered that. I wonder if Ladybug would like it_. _But no, it's just to cover up the smell of Plagg's camembert._

"Just the lady who does my laundry," he laughed "It's either this or stinky cheese."

"Cheese?"

"Uh, it's just a little joke." Adrien quickly said. "So were you working on your project with Max?"

"Yes, I was. I'm lucky to have him as a partner, because he understands the assignment a lot more than I do."

"You sound like me with Meg. She's pretty good at chemistry from what I've seen so far. I'll admit though, I was a bit too distracted to be much help anyway."

"Oh, really? Distracted how?"

"Well she showed me these amazing photos that she took, and I couldn't get my mind off of them." _In fact, I still cant._

"What kind of photos?"

Adrien told Marinette about the photos he saw, remembering the one of Ladybug. He was positive that image would be burned in his mind forever: Her deep blue eyes holding that look that he couldn't quite describe, that very delicate smile on her perfect pink lips, the halo of light that radiated around her in that moment. Thinking about it again made him all the more anxious for night to come so they could go on patrol together.

Adrien felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "That's my bodyguard. It was nice talking to you, Marinette. See you later."

* * *

Back in his room, Adrien was pacing. "If Meg is right about Ladybug, then I have to get her to see the truth somehow."

"How are you gonna do that?" Plagg said with a mouthful of cheese.

"I don't know yet; I'm thinking."

"The way to my heart is through my stomach. If a candlelight dinner didn't do the trick, I don't know what will."

Adrien frowned.

Plagg continued, "Come to think of it, you've offered your heart to this girl at every turn you take, and she still hasn't accepted it. Maybe you should just move on."

Adrien had an idea. "Maybe I will move on."

"Seriously?" Plagg swallowed his cheese with a gulp. "It's about time."

"I've made myself too available for Ladybug. Emotionally that is. Maybe if I take a step back and stop doing all of those romantic things, she'll realize she actually wants me to do them!"

Plagg facepalmed. "That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant, Plagg. But maybe you've never been in love. I can't just turn it off."

"I have been in love, thank you very much. Her name was Havarti and she left me too soon. That's when I was finally able to find Camembert."

Adrien rolled his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was almost time to meet Ladybug.

"I'll be sure to remember that next time I'm in love with aged dairy. Claws out."

* * *

 _Paris is so beautiful at night,_ thought Cat Noir as he bounded across rooftops towards the meeting spot. The moon and the stars were shining especially bright, and the ground was teeming with life. _I can't believe I'm in the city of love, and in order to get the girl of my dreams I have to STOP being romantic._ He could see Ladybug waiting for him a few rooftops away. _Okay, play it cool._ He leapt the remaining distance and landed a few yards away from her.

"Ah, look what the Cat dragged in." She said playfully as he approached her.

"Good evening, M'—Ladybug." _No more cute stuff,_ he reminded himself _. "_ Ready to get started?"

"Ready."

They went on their way patrolling the city, jumping from building to building.

"Everything looks good so far," said Ladybug. "It's been quiet these past few days. I'm a little worried that Hawk Moth might be up to something."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it." He replied.

"But we should keep our guard up, just in case."

"I agree." He said as he decided on which way to go next.

He picked a direction, and they headed off without much conversation. Cat Noir was trying to keep it business only, which left him without much to say. He would have loved to tell her how beautiful she was, or how she made the stars jealous that they didn't shine as brightly, but that falls under the category of romantic: strictly off limits.

Instead he focused on the people below. Most of them never looked up, so they went by almost completely unnoticed. They passed over Andre and the couples who were lined up for his ice cream. They checked the park, where people walked hand in hand. They landed on top of the school and caught a view of a couple leaving Marinette's parents' Bakery. _This is getting ridiculous._ Couples were everywhere, practically emphasizing his loveless life. He let out a sigh.

"Are you okay, Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're very quiet tonight. Something on your mind?" she looked concerned.

There was, in fact, something on his mind. But it was always the same story with her, over and over.

"Not really," he said with a shrug.

She looked at him like she didn't quite buy it, but he had to keep it professional and nothing more.

"Well everything seems clear tonight, so I'll see you next time. Goodnight Ladybug." He turned and leapt off toward home fighting every urge he had to look back.

He swooped into his open window and landed silently on the floor.

"Claws in." He became Adrien once again, and Plagg floated up beside him.

"So how did your plan work out?"

"It was hard, but so far so good. It's going to take more than one patrol to really make a difference." Adrien said, getting ready for bed.

"How long are you going to keep this up?"

"As long as I have to, I guess."

"You know if you pretend you've moved on long enough, you might wake up one day and realize that you really have."

Adrien considered this for a moment, remembering all of the couples he'd seen that night and remembering all of the times he tried to woo Ladybug. He thought about what it would be like if she reciprocated his feelings, and he thought about what it would be like if she never did.

"Well then, Plagg, I really hope this works before that happens."

He tried to get some sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop working. Plagg was right about one thing: if he faked it long enough, it might become real. He wasn't sure if he was ready to move on from Ladybug, even if he didn't notice it happening. His thoughts were on a constant loop of "Do I or Don't I." He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next sound he heard was his alarm waking him up for school.


	9. Chapter 9

Being outside was such a relief. Paris was so beautiful at night, and the cool air was refreshing. Smells of cinnamon, bread, and sugary sweets filled the air outside of Marinette's home. She took in the view around her before yo-yoing off of her balcony towards her meeting place with Cat Noir.

She was looking forward to patrol. Cat Noir always knew how to cheer her up, even if he didn't know he was doing it, and she enjoyed the banter more than she let on. She was only at the meeting point for a minute or two before she spotted her friend approaching. She watched him leap skillfully across the buildings and couldn't help but notice how graceful his movements were.

"Ah, look what the Cat dragged in." She said playfully when he landed and walked towards her.

"Good evening, M'—Ladybug." He greeted her. "Ready to get started?"

She noticed his pause and briefly wondered what that was about. That didn't last long though, since he was waiting for an answer.

"Ready." She said as she began twirling her Yo-yo for takeoff.

They went on their way patrolling the city, jumping from building to building. They didn't have a usual route, and just went wherever the night took them. They landed on a rooftop and took in the area around them.

"Everything looks good so far," said Ladybug as she scanned her surroundings. "It's been quiet these past few days. I'm a little worried that Hawk Moth might be up to something." This wasn't the first time they've had a few days of peace, but it always made Ladybug a little antsy. Plus, the villains lately had been increasingly tough to beat.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it." He replied.

"But we should keep our guard up, just in case."

"I agree."

She glanced over at him, and he was scanning the area. He seemed to have something on his mind, but Ladybug hoped he would bring it up on his own.

Cat Noir picked a direction, and she followed him without much conversation. This silence was unlike him, and she wasn't quite sure what to say about it.

They landed on top of the school and Ladybug was determined to break the silence. She looked at Cat Noir, and as he was focused on something below them, his hair fell just a bit over his eyes. Meg's words echoed in her mind, _"He's super gorgeous."_ In that moment, with the way the moonlight outlined him, she actually noticed. She noticed the straight slope of his nose, the strong shape of his face, the broadness of his shoulders. She'd honestly never realized quite how attractive her partner was. Something in her belly stirred. _Why am I suddenly anxious?_ She asked herself.

She stole another glance at Cat Noir, and noticed the strange expression on his face. She tucked away her thoughts to analyze later. She wanted to know what was on her friend's mind and how she could help.

"Are you okay, Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" he looked at her, and his green eyes made her catch her breath.

"You're very quiet tonight. Something on your mind?" she was concerned, both about his silence, and the things about herself that she was discovering.

"Not really," he said with a shrug.

The look he wore said otherwise. She could tell something was off and was growing increasingly worried by the moment. She hoped he might open up and tell her what was going on, but instead he turned away from her.

"Well everything seems clear tonight, so I'll see you next time. Goodnight Ladybug."

He leapt away without looking back. It surprised her how much she wished he had. _What's going on with me?_

She waited until the coast was clear and swung over onto her balcony and down into her room.

"Spots off." She said, releasing her kwami into the air. She couldn't shake the image of Cat Noir looking down at the city out of her mind.

"There's this weird pit in my stomach, Tikki. I'm really worried about Cat Noir. Something was clearly bothering him, but he wouldn't talk to me."

"Can you blame him?" she asked in response.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean, Marinette. Cat Noir has accepted that you don't feel the same way about him that he feels about you, but it still probably stings a bit. Especially on beautiful nights like this one."

Marinette thought about how the stars shined tonight, the sounds of music coming from the park, and all of the happy people they passed on their patrol. Paris was always beautiful, but there were those nights every now and then where it was just a bit more exceptional.

"Do you really think that's what it was?" she asked, thinking about the look on Cat Noir's face.

"It's a possibility." She said.

It was silent while Marinette thought about Tikki's reasoning. She thought about the night she found out Cat Noirs true feelings for her. He had the same look on his face that night when he came to her balcony that he had tonight. She felt a twinge in her heart at the memory. She remembered the rooftop that he'd lined with candles, and the beautiful scene that he'd put in place for her. She hated having to let him down. She knew exactly how unrequited love felt, and it didn't feel good. For a flicker of a moment, she wished she didn't love Adrien.

The thought scared her, and she immediately chased it away. How could she wish such a thing? Adrien was the most wonderful boy she'd ever met. He was kind to everyone, even Chloe who didn't deserve it. He was smart and gentle and funny… but even still, Cat Noir crept back into her mind.

"I can't get him out of my head, Tikki." She said as she fell back onto her bed and stared at her ceiling.

"It makes sense that you would be worried about him. You two are very close." Tikki said, landing softly on the pillow beside her.

"It's a little more than worry, Tikki." She said softly, remembering the way the moonlight outlined him. "There was something about him tonight—something I'd never noticed before."

Tikki listened patiently.

"I thought about what Meg said the other day. That I haven't let myself see…" she hesitated. "Do you think she might be right?

"Only you can answer that, Marinette." Tikki answered quietly.

Marinette continued to think about Cat Noir. Not just about their encounter tonight, but all of the time they've spent together. He was always there when she needed him to be. He always made her smile. There were so many times that he sacrificed himself for her. She was grateful for him, and of course she loved him. But she wasn't _in love_ with him. Was she?

"I don't know, Tikki. Cat Noir means a lot to me, of course, but…" she trailed off.

"But what?" she asked.

"You know I'm in love with Adrien," she said, feeling conflicted.

Marinette thought about Adrien's gentle smile and his contagious laughter. That's the boy she fell in love with, and that's the boy she wanted to love her back. She only wished Cat Noir didn't have to suffer because of it. She heard his voice in her head, " _You're the lady of my dreams"._

She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, hoping to escape her thoughts and get some sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Adrien walked into Mrs. Mendeleiv's class and saw that Meg was already in the seat beside his, and she had photos spread out in front of her. _I'd forgotten that the seats changed for the project this week._ He was looking forward to a friendly distraction—anything to keep his mind off of his inner conflict that was Ladybug.

"Hey Meg, what do you have there?" he greeted her as he got closer. He looked at the photos she had on the desk. _Great, just what I need._

"Hey, Adrien. These are photos that I took last night of Ladybug and Cat Noir's patrol. At least, I assume they were patrolling. I didn't hear anything about any akuma attacks."

Adrien took a look at the photos. He and Ladybug were standing on top of the school. Cat Noir was looking at something out of frame, and Ladybug was looking at him.

"How did you know where they were going to be?" he asked her.

"I didn't. I was just in the right place at the right time, and" she giggled, "it helps to look up. You'd be surprised at the things that can go right over one's head."

Adrien sat down in his seat beside her as she put the photos away. Class was about to begin and Adrien let out a sigh.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" Meg asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said very unconvincingly.

"You know, if you don't feel up for working on the project right now, we can just pretend, and work on it later. I don't mind staying after school."

"You'd do that?" he was a little surprised.

"I wont tell if you don't." she winked mischievously.

They laughed together. Adrien was grateful for the break Meg offered him. He really wasn't in the headspace to focus on anything right now. If anything, he wanted to shut his brain off. But he settled for the next best thing: wasting class time with a friend.

* * *

"I remember this time my friends and I successfully got the entire class to skip a period. Nobody wanted to go, so we text everyone in our class and convinced them not to. The teacher was furious the next day! She said, "Not a single person showed up." And my friend, who was part of the group text, pretended she didn't know and said, "not one?" It was the funniest thing!" Meg was laughing at the memory.

"The entire class?" Adrien was shocked, but amused at the story.

"Every single person!" Meg was still laughing.

They'd spent the class period this way, laughing and telling each other stories about their lives. Meg had quite a few more stories to share, considering Adrien's school life started not too long ago. He enjoyed listening to her stories, though; she was funny and very lively.

The bell rang signaling that it was time to go.

"I didn't even notice the time." Adrien said, looking at the clock. They started gathering their belongings. He felt a lot better than he did last night and this morning, now that he'd had time to be distracted.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Meg. I really appreciate it." He smiled at her.

"No problem," she smiled back. "So I'll see you in the library after school, right?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could work on it at my place. You could ride home with me after school. The least I can do to thank you for a clear head is keep you from having to sit in that stuffy old library."

"Okay then, that sounds cool. I'll meet you out front five minutes after final bell."

"See you then!" they parted ways, each to their next class.

"You do realize this is the first girl that you've brought home, right?" Plagg asked from inside Adrien's shirt.

"It's not like that, Plagg. She's just a friend. Besides, it doesn't really count since we're going to be doing schoolwork."

"If you say so. But it looks like you'll be able to move on just fine from Ladybug, after all."

And just like that, all of his problems came back to haunt him.

"Thanks, Plagg. Because that's what I want to think about right now."

* * *

Meg rode home with him after school as planned, and Adrien had Nathalie bring them a snack to get through working on the project. After about thirty minutes of unproductivity, Meg closed her book and looked at Adrien.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her

"Everything is okay with me. Is everything okay with you?" she asked him.

He paused. _I'll admit; I wasn't exactly paying attention._

"I can tell that you're distracted," she continued, "and I think it might be the same thing that had you distracted yesterday, and before class earlier today. I'd like to help, if I can." She offered a gentle smile.

"I'm not sure you can help." He said, unsure of what he could even say to her for her to understand his situation.

"Try me." Meg looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell her about his problem.

"Well…I'm sort of…friends…with Cat Noir. And you're right; he's in love with Ladybug. But she's in love with someone else. But he thinks she might be in love with him too, but she doesn't see it because she's too focused on the other guy. He asked me for advice on how to get her to realize she has feelings for him too, but I don't know what advice I could give him. Complicated, right?"

He hoped the whole "asking for a friend" approach wasn't too obvious. To his surprise, her response was laughter. _Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?_ He wondered.

"Meg?"

"I'm sorry, Adrien, I'm not laughing at you." She continued laughing. "It's just so funny to me, because what a coincidence! I've recently become friends with Cat Noir, too, and I've been trying to think of advice to give him about this same thing."

"Wait, you're friends with Cat Noir?" _What? No you aren't._ He hadn't said a single word to Meg as Cat Noir.

"Yes! And you can't tell anyone, but… I know Cat Noir's secret identity." She giggled.

"You do?" _There's no way this is true,_ Adrien thought.

"Mhm. He doesn't know that I know, yet. But I'm trying to figure out how to tell him."

"Who is he?" he tested her.

She made a face and then laughed again.

"Something you should know about me, Adrien, is that I would never give away Cat Noir's identity to anyone. Ever." She had a serious look in her eye that could be nothing but fake, like the rest of her words. _What an actress._

 _I'm Cat Noir_ he thought. _If she really knew, she would've just told me my own identity._ Adrien was speechless. This girl, who he thought was a genuine, honest person turned out to be exactly what Alya called her. A Lila.

She went on, "So anyway, about Cat Noir's Ladybug problem. For now, I think he should just be patient. The guy she has feelings for is cool and all, but I know she'd be so much happier if she let go of those feelings for him and realized her feelings for Cat Noir. I'm secretly trying to guide her to that point, hence all of my photos, but I want her to get there on her own, so I don't know how long that could take. But hopefully not long."

Adrien decided to play along and see how far Meg would go.

"So you know Ladybug's identity, too?" he asked.

"Yes, but same rule applies. I'd never spill."

"And you know who she's in love with?" he asked

"Yes, but I can't tell you that either because it could give away her identity. And, like I said, he's a cool guy, but Cat Noir is amazing. He's clever, funny, trustworthy, and he'll always have her back. She already knows all of those things, but she won't let herself feel it because she doesn't want to stop loving her crush. Cat Noir knows how that feels."

 _Well, she got that part right._ "So Meg," he began, "Why do you want to help them get together?"

Meg laughed. "Because they're too blind to do it themselves. And also," she got quiet, "also because I love the way Cat Noir loves her. He's loved her since Day 1 without knowing the name of the girl under the mask. He loves her for what she is: strong, brave, caring. He loves her heart. And I'm tired of seeing her hurt him and not give him that love back.

 _She may have been lying about everything else, but she understands exactly how I feel about Ladybug. How can she see all of this, but Ladybug cant? Or chooses not to?_

His thoughts were interrupted by Meg's phone vibrating.

"I have to go," she said, "Thanks for inviting me over."

Adrien walked her to the gate outside of his house. He was thinking about the crazy turn of events that just happened. Someone so sweet turned out to be so sour.

"Thanks for walking me out," She said.

"You're welcome." He said, relieved to be getting away from her.

She giggled, "Oh Adrien, ever the gentleman. You know, you're really level headed right now."

"What do you mean?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I mean you really kept your cool and didn't try to call me out once. I know you think I'm lying about everything I said in there. And it's okay; I kind of made it sound that way on purpose. But I want you to know that I meant it when I said I'd never reveal Cat Noir's identity to anyone."

A car pulled up for Meg, and she opened the door.

"Your secret is safe with me." She winked and got in the car.

Adrien stood frozen as it drove off.


	11. Chapter 11

Marinette was in her temporary new seat in the back of the classroom. It's a wonder she never failed any of her classes, since she was always distracted by one thing or another. She tried her hardest to focus so she could actually pull her weight on the project, but all she could think about was patrol and her conversation with Tikki last night.

 _I can't possibly actually be in love with Cat Noir._ She couldn't believe she actually had to have this conversation with herself, either. She thought about the expression on Cat Noir's face last night. _And that's probably the exact reason he wouldn't talk to me last night._ She sighed. _Tikki's right._ Marinette knew she was the problem, but she didn't know what she could do to fix it.

The sound of laughter came from the front of the classroom, breaking into her thoughts. She knew, without looking, exactly who that laughter belonged to. Marinette looked up from her paper to the front of the class where Adrien sat laughing with Meg.

 _Ah yes, my other problem._ She'd been so distracted about Cat Noir, that she'd forgotten about Adrien possibly falling for Meg. _Well at least Cat Noir got my mind off of it like I knew he would._ Marinette watched them talk and laugh together, her mind filling with dread.

 _Maybe Tikki's right about more than one thing,_ thought Marinette. She resolved to take Tikki's advice and tell Meg about her crush on Adrien. Hopefully it wasn't too late and a disaster could be avoided and a potential relationship saved.

Marinette pushed all of her worries out of her mind until the appropriate time and did her best to contribute to the project with Max.

* * *

Class ended and Marinette grabbed her books quickly, hoping to catch a minute with Meg. She waited until Meg was finished talking to Adrien before approaching her. _I hope it isn't too late,_ she thought desperately.

She caught up with Meg in the hallway.

"Meg, wait up!" she called after her.

Meg turned and smiled at the approaching Marinette.

"Hey, girlie. What's up?"

Marinette realized she had no clue how to actually say what she wanted to say. _Oh boy._

"Not much, I was just hoping we could talk."

Meg checked the time. "Yeah, I think I can spare a few minutes before gym. Something on your mind?"

"Actually yes…" Marinette hesitated. She realized what she was about to ask of Meg was a little selfish.

Meg looked at her expectantly, with a smile on her face.

Marinette sighed, "Never mind. It isn't important." She said, regretting the words instantly.

"Marinette, whatever it is, you can tell me."

There was kindness in Meg's eyes, and Marinette couldn't say what she needed to say. After all, it wasn't Meg's fault that Marinette could never form a complete sentence around Adrien. What she wanted wasn't fair.

"I think I know what's got you bugged," said Meg.

"You do?" asked Marinette, a little surprised.

"Yeah. Look Marinette," Meg looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone else within hearing distance. "It's no secret that you have a crush on a certain someone."

"What?!" Marinette began to panic.

"I mean, it is a secret," Meg backtracked quickly, "But it's not a secret to me."

"How did you know?" Marinette asked her, wondering if she'd been too obvious or if maybe one of her friends spilled the beans.

"I just know things," answered Meg. "And Marinette, I think there's something you should know."

Her heart sank for a second. The tone of Meg's voice told her that she should be afraid of what she was about to hear.

"Adrien is already in love with someone." Meg told her.

Marinette's heart sank deeper. Her worst fears were confirmed.

"I know this must sting, Marinette, but you have to trust me. It's for the best." Meg's words were like salt in the wound.

"How could this possibly be for the best?" She whispered.

Meg touched her shoulder and met her eyes. The corners of Meg's mouth turned up into the tiniest smile. "Because now you can stop being afraid."

Meg held her gaze for a moment conveying a message that Marinette didn't quite understand. _Is she talking about Cat Noir? But she couldn't possibly know about that._ Marinette wondered what Meg actually meant by her statement.

Meg's smile got a little wider. "Yes, Marinette. I think you're thinking what I'm thinking. Let go of Adrien, and let those _other_ feelings in. Trust me."

Meg was smiling from ear to ear now. She hugged her tightly and ran off in the direction of gym class. Marinette looked down into her purse.

"Tikki, what just happened?"

* * *

Marinette sat in her next class, yet again unable to focus. Her problems just got ten times worse. She was positive that the "other" feelings Meg referred to were her possible feelings for Cat Noir. _But in order for Meg to know about that, she'd have to know I'm Ladybug. How could this happen?_ Her identity was at risk, and she was stuck in school. And on top of all of that, Adrien was in love with someone else. _I wonder who it could be._ She shook her head. _Focus Marinette, you have bigger problems right now._ With everything that was going on, Marinette felt like her life was spinning out of control. She needed school to end already.

The bell finally rang at the end of the day, and Marinette hurried to get out of the classroom. She ran down the front steps of the school, catching a glimpse of Meg getting into the car with Adrien. She winced at the sight as she ran towards her destination. Part of her wondered if Meg was the girl that Adrien was in love with. _Now's not the time, Marinette,_ she thought to herself.

"Where are you going?" Tikki asked her.

"I think Meg knows about me, Tikki. I have to talk to Master Fu."

Marinette ran the few blocks to Master Fu's dojo and found him inside sitting on the floor.

"Master, we have a problem." She said urgently.

"Calm down, Marinette. There is not a single problem that can't be solved." He was always so calm. She didn't know how he managed it.

"I don't know about this one, Master." She said, a bit calmer. His mood was contagious.

"Sit down, and I will pour you a cup of tea. Then you can tell me about it, and we can figure out what to do together."

Marinette did as she was told despite her anxiety.

Master Fu poured the tea, took a long sip and said, "Now, Marinette. Tell me what is going on."

She felt like she was about to explode. "Master, there's a girl at school, and I think she knows my secret identity. I don't know how she found out, but I'm almost positive that I'm right. "

"Hmm, this is a problem." Master Fu said thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry I failed, Master. Nobody was ever supposed to find out my secret," she put her head down.

"I know that it is not your fault, Marinette. You are always very careful to keep your identity a secret. I trust that you did not cause this." He was always so reassuring.

"What should I do?"

"What did this girl say to you, exactly?"

Marinette was a little embarrassed to talk boys with Master Fu, "Uh… she told me…not to be afraid… and to… let the feelings in." She felt her cheeks getting warm.

Master Fu smiled, "Ah, your feelings for Cat Noir."

 _Wakahsdksdfadf!_ She did her best to minimize her freaking out.

"How did you know?" she asked him nervously.

He laughed, "When you live to be as old as I am, you pick up on things like that."

"What should I do about _that_ , Master?" Marinette asked, taking this opportunity to ask for more advice. "Cat Noir says he loves me, but he doesn't even really know who I am."

"Of course he does. He's by your side every day."

"He's by Ladybug's side every day. He doesn't know Marinette." she was doubtful that he'd like her if he knew what she was really like.

"Marinette, you ARE Ladybug. I chose you because you have Ladybug inside you. I knew it from the moment we met."

She was quiet.

"And do you love him?" he asked her.

"I don't know, Master. I didn't think I did until recently…but now…I'm so confused." she put her head in her hands.

Master Fu smiled and took her hands in both of his, "Listen to your heart, Marinette. It will lead you to make the right choice, like it always does."

Marinette smiled, grateful to have Master Fu as a teacher and as a friend.

"Thank you, Master." She said as she stood up to leave. "But wait, what do I do about Meg?"

"From what you told me, it does not sound like she poses a threat right now. Be patient, and find out what else she knows."

Wayzz, who'd been sitting nearby with Tikki, suddenly spoke up.

"Someone's coming. Hide, Tikki!" He zoomed into the Miracle box, and Tikki went into Marinette's purse.

The door opened, and Adrien ran in.


	12. Chapter 12

Adrien was frozen in shock watching Meg's car drive away. He couldn't believe that Meg actually knew his identity. So much just happened. _Was everything she said actually true?_ he thought, as he scrambled to remember the things she told him. Adrien ran back up to his room as fast as he could.

"Did you hear that, Plagg? She knows who I am." Adrien paced across his room. "This is so bad."

"Look on the bright side, she said she's trying to get Ladybug to fall in love with you."

"Plagg, this is serious." Adrien said, although part of him did want to think about that. "What if she tells someone?"

"She said she wouldn't."

Adrien remembered the look in Meg's eye that he dismissed as fake. She looked so sincere, so trustworthy. And now that he knew at least some of what she said was true, maybe she actually was trustworthy.

"Maybe," he said, briefly going over the conversation in his head. He wanted to focus on the things Meg said about him and Ladybug, but knew he'd have to do that another time. "I need to tell Master Fu. Plagg, Claws Out!"

* * *

Adrien transformed into Cat Noir to sneak out and make it to Master Fu's dojo in record time. He ducked behind a pillar to transform back into Adrien before going inside.

"Master Fu, it's an emergency." He said as he ran in.

He immediately stopped dead in his tracks, surprised to see Marinette standing there.

They were both speechless for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"A-adrien? Wh-what are you doing here?" Marinette asked him.

"Uh," he racked his brain to think of an excuse quickly. "Master Fu is my Chinese tutor. I…have a big test coming up, and I really needed to speak with him."

 _Quick thinking,_ he told himself, "What about you?"

"I…Master Fu is the vet that healed my cat once! Yeah! I was very grateful, and now I visit him sometimes."

"I didn't know you had cat."

"Yes! A rare, hairless, flying species from the Kingdom of Achoo! But I don't have her any more, because…she flew away."

"Thank you for visiting me, Marinette. I hope to see you again soon." Master Fu said.

"Goodbye, sir!" said Marinette as she ran out of there.

 _She seemed to be in a hurry,_ Adrien thought to himself, but he quickly remembered the reason he was there.

"I'm sorry to burst in on you like this, Master, but it's an emergency."

"What is it, Adrien?"

"Master, there's this girl at my school, and she knows that I'm Cat Noir. She said that she knows who Ladybug is, too."

"Is this girl's name Meg?" asked Master Fu.

"Yes," Adrien was confused. "How did you know?"

"Ladybug spoke to me earlier today, and told me about her encounter with this girl. But I did not know that she knew your identity as well. This may be worse than I thought."

 _So she was telling the truth about knowing Ladybug's identity. Maybe she was telling the truth about everything._ Adrien's heart started to pound.

"She told me…that she was trying to get Ladybug to realize that she was in love with me. Do you think it's true, Master? That Ladybug is…in love with me?"

"The words spoken by the traveler are empty, but the words spoken by the King are full of riches indeed." Answered Master Fu.

Adrien didn't understand what he was trying to tell him.

"Anyone can tell you what you want to hear, Adrien. But the only words that matter are the words from Ladybug, herself." Master Fu smiled.

Adrien returned the smile, "And your words of wisdom, Master Fu." Adrien stood up to leave, "But what should I do about Meg?"

"Are you worried that she will reveal your secret?"

"She said she wouldn't, but…" Adrien still wasn't sure if he should believe her or not.

"Has she given you a reason not to trust her?" Master Fu asked, reading his mind.

"No."

"Then I think you should be patient, and find out what else she knows."

Adrien nodded, "Thank you, Master."

He turned and left to go back home.

* * *

Adrien waited all night and day for his opportunity to talk to her again in person, but she still hadn't shown up to class by the time the bell rang. He started to worry about where she could be, what she could be up to, or to whom she could be telling his secret. _Calm down,_ he thought. _She said my secret was safe._ He remembered the look on her face when she made that declaration. She had that same look both times. _I can trust her._

The classroom door opened a crack, and Meg tried to sneak in without Mrs. Mendeleiv noticing. She successfully slid into her seat beside Adrien.

"Sorry I'm late," she giggled, "Ready to work on the project?"

Adrien had been thinking about what he would say to her when he saw her again, but all of that went out the window.

"Are you serious?" he asked. _How can she surprise me with what she knows like that, and then not even acknowledge that it happened?_

"Of course I'm serious. I know you might have the highest grades other than Max, but I need an A."

"So you're not going to talk to me about…what you told me?"

She grinned at him mischievously, "I don't think that's something you want to talk about in the middle of class, Adrien."

She had a point. There were too many people around who might accidentally hear something that they shouldn't.

"Right. As soon as it's over then," he told her.

* * *

Time crawled by and class felt like it lasted for hours. But finally, the bell rang. Adrien grabbed her hand and took her into an empty classroom.

They looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something first.

"Well?" It was Adrien who broke the silence.

"Well what?" she asked.

"Well…" Adrien paused, he had so many questions but he didn't know were to start. "How do you know about me?"

That mischievous grin from earlier came back, "I just know things."

Adrien was not satisfied with that lack of an answer. "How do you just know things?" he asked again.

"I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that you can trust me." The grin was gone. She was serious now.

He thought about what to ask her next. "Did you tell Ladybug that you know my identity, like you told me that you know hers?"

"No. I might've gone too far when I told you that. I was just having a bit of fun." The grin was back.

"What was fun about that?" he asked

"It was just a little tease. I knew you would think I was lying about knowing your identity, so I played up the lie. Even though it was the truth." She was serious again, "It was all the truth, Adrien. Every word of it."

"Well what else do you know?" he asked, trying to get back on task. He couldn't be distracted by thought of Ladybug right now.

The grin was back. She was like a cat with a ball of string.

"Just things." She said coyly.

"Things like what?" he was persistent.

"Things like I can't tell you." She still had the grin.

Adrien studied her smirk and, noticing a glimmer in her eyes, he realized that this was fun for her, like a game. _Okay,_ he thought, _I'll play along._

"So you know my identity and Ladybug's identity. I'm guessing that you also know about our kwamis?" he asked, testing her.

"Yes, Plagg and—," she stopped, serious again, "I don't know if you know Ladybug's kwami's name, so I can't tell you."

 _She knows who I am, but refuses to give anything about Ladybug away._ At this, Adrien was more confident that he could trust her. But he still needed answers.

"Okay," Adrien tried to think of what else he could guess out of her. "Do you know…Rena Rouge's identity too?"

The grin was back.

"Maybe." She said with a smirk.

He took that as a 'yes'.

"What about Carapace?"

"Maybe." She answered with a giggle this time, too.

Adrien took that as further confirmation.

"And don't even ask about Queen Bee, because everyone knows that's Chloe Bourgeois." She said smugly.

Adrien wondered what other secrets she knew, since she had answers that even he didn't have. He thought for a moment about what else he could ask her. No doubt she knew about Master Fu and the rest of the Miraculous. It would make sense if she knew about the grimoire and power potions too. _Hmmm._ Then it hit him.

"What about…Hawk Moth?" he asked her.

The grin was gone again. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again.

"Well?" he asked, although he was almost certain of the answer.

"Nope, I don't know that one." She said, looking him in the eye.

Adrien recognized this as the first lie she ever told him.

"Who is it?" he asked.

Adrien's thoughts were running wild. Hawk Moth terrorized the city on an almost daily basis, and now Adrien was this close to putting an end to all of that. He and Ladybug could finally defeat Hawk Moth, and the city would be safe.

Meg looked uncomfortable. She remained silent.

"Meg, you have to tell me," he urged.

"I can't."

"You can't?" Adrien was taken aback. He was confused, surprised, bewildered! "Hawk Moth is a villain. He puts people in danger every day, and you cant tell me, a super hero, who he is?"

She looked him square in the eye. "No Adrien, I can't tell you."

"Why not!"

"Because, Adrien!

"Meg—"

"I have to go," she cut him off and left the classroom.

"Meg! Meg!" he started to chase after her, but she wasn't alone anymore, and this wasn't a conversation he could have around other people.


	13. Chapter 13

"Master Fu, it's an emergency." Adrien said as he ran in, stopping immediately.

Marinette froze. He was the last person she'd ever expect to see in Master Fu's dojo. Silence filled the air. He seemed equally surprised to see her there.

"A-adrien? Wh-what are you doing here?" Marinette asked him. Her head was spinning. _How does he know Master Fu?_

"Uh, Master Fu is my Chinese tutor. I…have a big test coming up, and I really needed to speak with him."

 _That's right,_ Marinette remembered Adrien's schedule. She knew he took Chinese lessons, she just never imagined that they were with Master Fu. _What a small city,_ she thought.

"What about you?" he asked her.

Marinette had no idea what to say, but then she remembered the first time she ever came to Master Fu's dojo.

"I…Master Fu is the vet that healed my cat once! Yeah! I was very grateful, and now I visit him sometimes."

"I didn't know you had cat."

"Yes! A rare, hairless, flying species from the Kingdom of Achoo! But I don't have her any more, because…she flew away." Marinette knew she wasn't making any sense. Nothing about this situation made any sense at all.

"Thank you for visiting me, Marinette. I hope to see you again soon." Master Fu said relieving Marinette of this awkward situation.

"Goodbye, sir!" said Marinette as she ran out of there. She was a nervous wreck.

"That was a close one, Tikki." She said, peeking into her purse.

"You're telling me." Said Tikki, looking relieved.

"What are the odds that Master Fu is Adrien's Chinese tutor?"

"Yeah, Marinette. That sure is one big crazy coincidence." Said Tikki with a nervous laugh that Marinette didn't catch.

* * *

Back in her room, Marinette paced back and forth trying to decide how to approach Meg. While she was positive that she knew her secret, Marinette wanted to be as subtle as possible while confirming it. She'd hate to give herself away on just a gut feeling. _Although, my gut is usually correct._

"Don't worry, Marinette. Everything will work out fine." Said Tikki from the desk where she was sitting and eating a cookie.

"How do you know that, Tikki?"

"Master Fu wasn't worried, so you shouldn't be either."

"I know he said to be patient, but I wish I could talk to her right now."

Marinette stopped in her tracks.

"That's it Tikki! I forgot, she gave me her phone number!" exclaimed Marinette as she whipped out her phone and quickly typed a message.

 **[MARINETTE] Hey, Meg! I was hoping we could talk.**

She pressed send and waited for a response.

And waited.

And waited.

But the response never came.

Marinette sighed. "I guess patience is my only option now."

* * *

Marinette searched every hall at school the next day looking for Meg, but she was nowhere to be found. This worried Marinette very much. _What if she tells someone?_ Marinette had no idea how she was going to get answers if she couldn't find the girl who had them.

She sat in Mrs. Mendeleiv's class, staring at the empty seat beside Adrien. On one hand, she was glad that seat was empty. On the other, she really hoped Meg would show up so she could finally get some answers. _Where could she be?_ Marinette wondered. And as soon as that thought passed through her mind, the door opened and Meg snuck to her seat.

Marinette's heart started pounding as she watched Meg whisper something to Adrien. She wasn't sure if it was because she was anxious to speak to her, or anxious that Meg was the girl that Adrien was in love with. Marinette realized she hadn't actually thought about her Adrien problem since it came up. She was too busy worrying about how Meg knew her secret.

 _So, he's in love with someone else,_ she thought, finally having time to process the information. It stung…but not as much as she thought it would. That surprised her. But mostly it scared her, because she knew the reason it didn't sting quite as badly as it should have. She wished it stung more, because then maybe the thoughts creeping into her mind wouldn't be true. Marinette was afraid to believe that she had feelings for Cat Noir. She'd been in love with Adrien for so long, and she wanted to hold on to those feelings. But what was the point? He was in love with someone else, and there was nothing she could do about it. Marinette looked back at the table where Adrien and Meg were sitting, and she felt a small ache in her chest.

* * *

The bell rang, and Marinette finally had her chance to talk to Meg. She hurried towards the front of the classroom, and completely tripped when she saw Adrien grab Meg's hand. They rushed out of the classroom together as Marinette desperately tried to get back on her feet. _Now is not the time!_ Marinette pulled herself up off of the ground and towards the door. She got to the hallway, but they were out of sight. She scanned the sea of students around her trying to see which way they went. _There!_ She caught sight of them down the hall as they entered an otherwise empty classroom.

Marinette gulped.

In that moment she wanted to melt to the floor. _It's true,_ she thought to herself not realizing that a tiny part of her hadn't believed what Meg told her. _He's in love with someone else._ She thought maybe if she kept repeating it in her mind she'd be able to wrap her head around it, but no matter how many times she thought it, it still felt like a foreign language.

 _Maybe this is a good thing._

Marinette was surprised at the tiny voice in her mind. She looked around as if anyone else could hear her thoughts. She'd been trying to come to terms with what she learned about Adrien, without having to think about what it meant for her. She wouldn't get to be with him—that much was obvious. But she didn't want that to mean that all of a sudden she was in love with Cat Noir. That would make him a second choice, _and he deserves more than that,_ she thought. Marinette brushed off her thoughts while slowly walking towards the closed door. She couldn't waste any more time thinking about this right now. Her own drama would have to take a back seat to Ladybug's.

Marinette stopped a few doors down, unsure of what to do. Meg and Adrien hadn't come out of the classroom yet and Marinette didn't want to think about what could be happening on the other side of that door. _They'll have to come out at some point,_ she reasoned. _I can just pretend to be passing by._

She waited there until the door opened, and Meg came running out with Adrien calling after her. Meg looked worried, but then relieved when she saw Marinette standing there.

 _"_ Marinette, can we talk?" Meg asked her quickly.

"Meg!" she heard Adrien call.

Marinette looked over in time to see the serious look on Adrien's face. Meg didn't turn around.

 _What happened in there?_ Now Marinette did want to know what had been happening on the other side of that door.

"Yes, of course." She said, more curious than ever. She was unsure of the situation, but determined to find out. "What's up?"

"Maybe somewhere a little more…alone?" Meg was still trying to cover up some of her worry.

"Oh, um, yeah. Follow me." Marinette led her to another classroom that she knew would be empty at this time and closed the door behind them. "What was that all about?"

Meg avoided her gaze, "It was nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing," Marinette pressed.

Meg looked her in the eye, and a sly smile crept across her lips.

"Have you thought about what I said?" she asked Marinette.

 _This is it,_ thought Marinette. _Here comes the confirmation._

"You're the one he's in love with, aren't you?" Marinette asked, feeling defeated.

Confusion swept across Megs face. Then it turned to surprise. Amusement followed, along with a laugh.

"No way! No," she smiled, her expression softer now. "You're my friend Marinette, I wouldn't do that."

Marinette was relieved. This didn't fix the problem at all, but still she felt a little bit better.

Meg continued, "Have you thought about the _other_ thing that I said?" Meg asked, raising her eyebrows.

Marinette wasn't sure how to respond. Not only had she been trying not to think about it, what if Meg hadn't actually meant what Marinette thought she meant.

"I don't know what other feelings you were talking about." She answered, hoping to get a definitive answer.

Meg didn't buy it. "C'mon, Marinette. You know exactly what other feelings I was talking about."

Marinette blinked.

Meg raised an eyebrow.

Nobody said a word.

Meg put her head back and sighed.

"Your feelings for Cat Noir." Meg said as though it were obvious. She waited for Marinette's response.

 _This doesn't necessarily mean she knows I'm Ladybug. A lot of girls have a crush on Cat Noir,_ Marinette thought. She wanted to be without a doubt, one hundred percent sure Meg knew her secret before answering. Right now she was only ninety-nine.

"What makes you think I have feelings for Cat Noir?" she asked Meg.

Meg didn't buy that either. "I know you're Ladybug, Marinette. You don't have to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Meg looked at her expectantly.

Marinette wasn't sure what to do next.

"You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone." Meg offered a reassuring smile.

"How do you know my secret?" Marinette asked. There were a million questions running through her mind.

"I just know things." Meg replied. "But that's not what's important right now."

Marinette was taken aback, "There's nothing more important to me than keeping my identity a secret." She told Meg with a fierce look in her eye.

Meg smiled, "I know that, Marinette. And you can trust me."

"How do I know that?"

"Well, for one thing I haven't told anyone. Not even Cat Noir."

Another surprise landed in Marinette's lap. "You know Cat Noir's identity too?"

Meg winced. "Yes. And listen, don't be mad at me, but" Meg paused, "I kind of told him that I was trying to get you to realize your feelings for him." She looked sheepish.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I got carried away when I was telling him that I knew his identity. But he loves you so much Marinette! And you love him!"

Marinette was at a loss for words. She could not believe what was going on. Patrol was already going to be awkward later, but now it was going to be ten times that.

Meg looked at Marinette, trying to catch her eye. "You do feel it, don't you?" she asked Marinette, searching her eyes for an answer.

With everything going on, that was the last thing that was on Marinette's mind. "I have more important things to worry about right now, Meg."

"Like what?"

"Like…like my identity being at risk, and now Cat Noir's too." She answered.

Meg snorted, "You can trust me, Marinette. Nobody else knows, and nobody else will ever know. Next." Meg looked her in the eye. There was no way Marinette was getting out of this one.

"Well I have to deal with..." she couldn't think of anything to say. Her biggest problems had been Meg knowing her secret, Adrien being in love, and her unexplored feelings for Cat Noir. Two of those had already been addressed. All that was left was…

"I can't be in love with him." She said.

"Why not?"

"Because he's…" Marinette trailed off.

"Because he's what?" Meg was exasperated. "Because he's your partner? Because he's an amazing guy? Because he'd do anything for you? Because—"

"Because he's not a second choice!" Said Marinette strongly. "He deserves better than that. He deserves better than the girl who constantly rejected him, only for her to finally accept him now that it's convenient. I can't just be in love with Cat Noir all of a sudden, just because I find out that Adrien is in love with someone else! That's not fair to him." Marinette realized that she felt sad, like she was too late for her.

Meg understood her reservations. She hugged Marinette, then took a step back and held onto her shoulders, looking her in the eye.

Softly, she said, "You've had these feelings long before yesterday, Marinette. And that feeling that you have right now just proves it even more."

Meg smiled at the unsure Marinette.

"I understand how it could seem like you're making Cat Noir a second choice, but that's not the case. You loved Adrien first. You honored that love to Adrien by not allowing yourself to see your love for Cat Noir. But now you're free to let go of that love for Adrien, and let your love for Cat Noir fully come to life."

"But what if…" Marinette trailed off, looking for another excuse.

"Marinette," Meg was still holding eye contact. "Stop. Hesitating."

Marinette gasped. She knew exactly what those words meant.

Meg smiled gently, and walked towards the door. She opened it to leave, but turned around to address Marinette one last time. "Follow your heart, Marinette."

And with that, Marinette was alone with her thoughts.


	14. Chapter 14

Cat Noir waited, not so patiently, on the roof where he was to meet Ladybug. He was there about twenty minutes early, restless because of the information he knew. Or rather, the information that he was close to knowing. He scanned the skyline hoping that he'd see her bright red figure swinging in to join him, but there was no such luck. He tried calling her with his baton, but it went straight to voicemail, meaning she hadn't even transformed yet.

Cat Noir sat down, sighing as he did. And restless as he was, he laid back and stared into the sky. His chest rose and fell at an even pace as he idly looked at the twinkling stars. He was not quite relaxed, but this was the calmest that he'd been all day. Between the time of his conversation with Meg and now, Adrien had had nothing to do but sit and wait for patrol with Ladybug, and that hadn't exactly been easy with everything going on those past couple of days. His eyes glazed over as he replayed the last few hours in his head.

Meg hadn't told him directly, but she knew Hawk Moth's identity. Maybe if she wouldn't tell Adrien, she'd tell Ladybug—although with the way she acted when he pressed her, he doubted it. Still, it was a possibility; they'd been talking to each other, after all.

Cat Noir shifted uncomfortably at the thought of the girls talking together. He'd been too caught up with Meg knowing his identity, and then with her having the valuable information about Hawk Moth, to really digest what she said to him in his room. But having to wait at home for patrol time to come around gave him ample time to consider her words.

"So what are you going to do now?" Plagg asked him, earlier that evening at the mansion.

"All I can do is wait for patrol so I can talk to Ladybug." He answered.

"So you are going to talk to her then?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Adrien asked, confused.

"Last I heard: you were playing hard to get."

"Considering everything that's happened since then, I don't think now's the time for those kinds of games."

Truth be told, Adrien had completely forgotten about his 'Business Only' plan. But with something this important on the agenda, there probably wouldn't have been talk of anything else anyway.

"Are you kidding?" Plagg shot up from where he'd been lounging. "Now's the perfect time. Meg said she's trying to guide Ladybug to her feelings for you, right? So now Ladybug's really going to notice everything you're doing or _not_ doing for her."

"What makes you think that?"

"Simple. I notice cheese, or the lack, of it a lot more when I'm actually thinking about it."

"You're always thinking about cheese." Adrien pointed out.

"True, but when I really, really think about it, I feel its absence a lot deeper." Plagg put his hand over his heart in an overly dramatic gesture, the way he did when he got started on cheese.

Adrien chuckled and rolled his eyes in a fond manner in response to his little friend. He knew what Plagg meant and, in a weird way, he sort of had a point. It's easy to miss something when you're not looking for it, but when it's drawn to your attention it suddenly becomes all you can see. Like when you get a new car and finally notice how many other people drive one just like it.

"I don't know, Plagg, it just seems so petty right now. And since when do you care about this stuff, anyway?" Adrien asked him.

"Since it became interesting." He answered, opening up Adrien's mini fridge to find a snack.

Interesting as it was, Adrien was unsure how he felt about Meg trying to play matchmaker. On one hand, he really wanted Ladybug to love him back. On the other hand, he never needed help knowing how he felt about Ladybug, so why should it take someone else to show her that she was in love with him? Then again, he was _only_ in love with Ladybug, and she had two loves to choose from. But if she didn't choose Cat Noir on her own, then what was the point? Although, Meg did say that she wanted Ladybug to get there on her own. But how was Meg going to get her to do that? What were their conversations like? Why was Meg so confident that she was right? And on top of that, how did Meg know any of what she knew?

The sound of approaching footsteps made Cat Noir turn his head. A figure in red and black stood over him with a blank expression on her face. _Finally,_ he thought as he got to his feet. This was the moment that he'd waited all day for. Now standing, he looked down at Ladybug, briefly wondering what she was thinking as she looked at him, her blue eyes wide.

"We need to talk." They said, simultaneously.

* * *

 _"Follow your heart, Marinette. Listen to your heart, Marinette."_

Marinette groaned, throwing her head back onto her pillow mimicking the voices of Master Fu and Meg in her head. Why were they both so sure that her heart had all of the answers? It was still early, and she had a few hours before patrol to figure out what she was going to do about Cat Noir.

She grabbed her phone to scroll through the Ladyblog to find images of herself and the boy in question. She looked at him there; again finding herself attracted to his features and feeling butterflies take flight in her stomach. Her heart quickened, knowing that she'd be seeing him tonight.

" _Listen to your heart"_ she mimicked again. Judging by the way it reacted to the thought of him, maybe her heart did have the answers after all.

"It's time to face the truth," she said aloud mostly to herself, but also to Tikki who was close by, "I can't keep denying that I feel something for Cat Noir. "

Tikki turned her head, waiting patiently to hear more, but Marinette was quiet, thinking about what Meg said to her. She'd honored her love for Adrien by ignoring her feelings for Cat Noir all of this time. Cat Noir wasn't a second choice; he was just second. Not that he was second in any way to Adrien or inferior at all, but she fell in love with Adrien within a few days of meeting him. She loved him first. Her feelings for Cat Noir snuck up on her quietly and over time, but she couldn't just set her feelings for Adrien aside because feelings for Cat Noir came along. But now, she was finally free to unlock and embrace them.

Marinette laid quietly, thinking of every time Cat Noir made her smile and made her laugh, her heart warming at the memories, and she wondered what kind of jokes he'd tell later that night.

She thought about his bright green eyes and how they sparkled in the moonlight, grateful for the clear sky and full moon tonight that would provide a chance for her to fully appreciate the sight.

She thought about all of the times she pretended not to notice the way he looked at her, and allowed herself to feel the flutter in her heart that she always suppressed, hoping he'd look at her again that way tonight. This time she wouldn't look away. Her imagination carried her to that moment and held her there, standing in front of Cat Noir, she reached out to grab his hand. He leaned his face towards hers. Closer.

Marinette sat up in her bed, blushing at her imagination.

"Tikki, I think I'm in love with Cat Noir." She said, an astonished smile slowly spreading across her face.

"That's wonderful, Marinette."

She let the revelation fully hit as the feelings that she'd been suppressing for so long took her over. Still seeing images of Cat Noir in her mind, feelings of warmth and giddiness, nervousness and excitement tickled her all at once. It was like a light switched had been flipped in her brain and her memories were all experienced in a new light. And she'd be seeing him later that night. She felt butterflies at the thought.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Tikki.

"I…don't know." Marinette fell silent again.

She'd accepted that she was in love with Cat Noir. These feelings were new to her, but they felt good. They felt right. But what was she supposed to do with them?

"Are you going to tell him how you feel?" Tikki asked her.

Marinette thought for a moment about how that conversation would go. She'd never been able to spit out a complete sentence about anything slightly related to her emotions when it came to Adrien, but would that be the case with Cat Noir? She was normally so comfortable around him, and hoped that wouldn't change, but the thought of expressing her new feelings made her nervous.

"Meg did say that she'd told him that she was trying to get me to realize how I felt about him. Which she was right about," she cringed, doubting that she'd be able to avoid the topic if she wanted to.

But she was kind of glad that Meg had told him, because she knew she might not have had the guts to bring it up otherwise. She wondered what he thought about that, and what kind of reaction he had. _Did he believe her? I wonder what else she said to him._

"I think I will tell him, Tikki. I mean I have to sooner or later, right?"

"Only if you're sure that's what you want. You know how he feels about you."

A picture of Cat Noir down on one knee, presenting her a single red rose, came to mind. This time she accepted it.

"I'm sure." She said, her resolve forming.

Cat Noir had waited for her affections long enough. She didn't want to make him wait any longer. He deserved to be loved, and to feel the happiness that it brings. He deserved to feel the warmth in his heart that kept a permanent smile on his face. She wanted to give him that. She wanted to make him smile and laugh and make him happy. She would make up for every time she rejected him and every time she hurt him.

She smiled to herself as she thought of the possibilities. How would he react to what she had to tell him? Where would they go from here? What would it be like to finally accept the love he'd been trying to give her?

Marinette glanced at the clock, still a few hours away from patrol. Now she was counting down the time, looking forward to her new adventure. She sat on her bed and looked around her room. Photos of Adrien still plastered the walls. With the same smile still on her face, she got out of bed and started taking them down.

* * *

Ladybug swung across town to her meeting site with Cat Noir, going over what she would say in her head.

She landed on the roof where he was and found him lying on his back, looking at the stars. He didn't seem to notice her approach until she was standing right over him. Ladybug looked down at his face and the expression on it, wondering what he was thinking about. He stood up and now he was the one standing over her. She held his gaze for a second, appreciating how handsome he was, and wondered for the first time what he would look like without the mask.

"We need to talk." They said, simultaneously.


	15. Chapter 15

"You first." They said, again at the same time.

They laughed nervously and Ladybug felt her cheeks getting warm. They were standing fairly close together, and Cat Noir was a head taller than she was. Suddenly she felt nervous looking up into his green eyes and glanced away trying to muster up the courage to tell him what she needed to tell him.

"You first, Ladybug." He said softly. The sound of his voice brought back her butterflies in full force.

Ladybug looked at him and opened her mouth, but the butterflies wouldn't let her speak. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"Cat Noir, I…" she trailed off.

She'd been thinking about him all afternoon, but each memory she went through earlier paled in comparison to standing in front of him with full acknowledgment of her love for him. It was a beautiful night, once again, which made Ladybug tingle even more. She and Cat Noir were already standing close, and a slight breeze pushed his scent towards her. He smelled so good. In the cool air, she could feel the warmth coming off of his body. He was looking at her so intently, and his eyes glistened in the moonlight. Ladybug closed her eyes and took another deep breath before opening them again.

"Cat Noir. You've been my partner for a long time, and I've always appreciated you and they way you're always there for me. You've never let me down and I know you never will. You always find a way to make me smile, even if you don't know you're doing it. I know I can always count on you for anything. And I'm sorry…" she trailed off again, not meaning to leave him on a cliff hanger, but she needed to gather her courage once more. Taking a final deep breath she readied herself.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize that I love you, Cat Noir." She said delicately.

She felt naked and vulnerable in the long silence that followed. She looked into his eyes and the range of emotions that crossed them as she waited for his response.

He looked at her and took a step closer, reaching up to touch her face. She drank in the moment: The cool air biting at the back of her neck and his sharp green eyes piercing into hers and the way his disheveled hair fell slightly over his eyes.

There was a silence between them that spoke volumes. Cat Noir leaned in to kiss her and she reached up on her toes to meet him halfway.

Everything stopped when he kissed her. She stopped breathing, the cars on the street below stopped moving, the world stopped spinning. She'd never before tonight allowed herself to even think about what it would be like to kiss Cat Noir, and here she was actually kissing him. It was everything she never knew she wanted, and nothing like she could've ever imagined. His kiss was gentle, yet strong and full of the emotion that he had for her, but not hasty or greedy; wanting more, but taking only what was given.

The kiss ended, and Cat Noir pulled back and smiled at Ladybug. Despite the cool air, she felt hot. It was a good feeling, even with the butterflies still fluttering. She wondered if they would ever stop.

"Am I allowed to tell you how beautiful you are now, m'lady?"

More flutters.

"I'll think about it, Kitty," she giggled, feeling a little light headed from all of the emotions, "now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Cat Noir tensed, cleared his throat, and stepped back, away from Ladybug.

"It's about Meg."

She frowned. His change in demeanor worried her.

"I don't know what, or how much she told you, but she knows the identity of Hawk Moth."

Ladybug gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, but she wouldn't tell me who it is."

Meg hadn't even hinted at mentioning knowing something like that. Ladybug instantly felt guilty. All evening she'd been absorbed by her feelings for Cat Noir while Meg was somewhere holding valuable information that Ladybug should've been finding out. That was her job: to find out what Meg knows. But instead, she let herself be distracted.

Not this time.

* * *

"You first." They said, again at the same time.

They shared a short nervous laugh and Ladybug blushed— something Cat Noir hadn't seen her do often. He'd been waiting all day to tell her his news and it was incredibly important, but something in him wanted to hear what she had to say first. She averted her eyes, redness lingering in her cheeks.

"You first, Ladybug."

Her eyes met his. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Cat Noir tried to ignore the fact that his pulse quickened. Whatever it was, she had to tell him or his brain would come up with all kinds of wild things and it would drive him crazy. He waited, hoping the silence would help her find her words.

"Cat Noir, I…" She started.

He had no idea what she was about to say or whether it would be something good or not, but she was making him nervous, so he remained silent.

"Cat Noir. You've been my partner for a long time, and I've always appreciated you and they way you're always there for me. You've never let me down and I know you never will. You always find a way to make me smile, even if you don't know you're doing it. I know I can always count on you for anything. And I'm sorry…"

He held his breath in anticipation. _Sorry? What's she sorry for?_ His heart began to sink. Whatever Meg thought she knew, she was wrong. And whatever Meg said to Ladybug in her attempts to get her to love him, she'd failed.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize that I love you, Cat Noir." She said her voice shaking ever so slightly.

 _Wait, WHAT?!_

Cat Noir couldn't believe what he'd just heard—words that he'd wanted to hear for so long now. He stood motionless, not knowing what to say or what to do, letting her words sink in to his bones.

 _She loves me._

He felt lightheaded, like he was dreaming, and he realized he was still holding his breath. He let his lungs fill with air as his mind continued to fill with thoughts.

 _Meg wasn't wrong, after all._

He looked down at Ladybug and she looked afraid. It was then that he realized there had been about a full minute of silence after her confession, and she was waiting for him to say something.

He took a step forward, closing the already small distance between them, and raised his hand to her cheek. He looked into her deep blue eyes, wanting to take in every detail of this moment: The smell of the air, the freckles on her skin, the warmth of her cheek. He felt his hand tremble slightly realizing how nervous he was. He'd dreamt of this moment for so long, and now it was real. No games necessary.

Her hand came up to meet his on her cheek. They didn't speak a word, but the air between them sent a very clear message. Cat Noir leaned in and Ladybug closed the rest of the distance. Their lips met in a soft, and almost hesitant, tender kiss. The air was charged with electricity and neither of them wanted to move too quickly for fear of shattering the moment.

Cat Noir took in the feel of her soft lips against his, and the sweet cinnamon smell of the girl he loved—the girl who finally loved him back. His heart felt like it would explode with the sheer joy he felt, and he wanted to remain suspended in that moment forever. It was a slow and delicate kiss that was nervous, but eager and curious, but shy.

The kiss ended, and Cat Noir pulled back to look at Ladybug, who was flushed. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile and his heart pounded.

"Am I allowed to tell you how beautiful you are now, m'lady?" he asked her half joking. She _was_ beautiful, and he didn't want to ever have to look away.

"I'll think about it, Kitty," she giggled, "now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Cat Noir's stomach dropped, like the feeling you get on a rollercoaster. He'd been so caught up in Ladybug's confession to him that he'd almost forgotten about Hawk Moth.

He cleared his throat and stepped back, away from Ladybug. This was important and he needed to focus. He couldn't do that as close to her as he was. He ran his fingers through his messy blond hair, a little upset at himself for being so distracted.

"It's about Meg."

He didn't really know how to start on the whole subject. He knew they both knew her and she knew both of them, _a little too well,_ he thought. But he and Ladybug hadn't spoken to each other about knowing her.

She frowned, and he continued.

"I don't know what, or how much she told you, but she knows the identity of Hawk Moth."

Ladybug gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, but she wouldn't tell me who it is."

Cat Noir hadn't known before patrol if this would be news to Ladybug or not, but now it was obvious that it was. Just as he thought, Meg hadn't mentioned it to her, but really that was no surprise considering he had to guess it out of her. He looked at Ladybug and saw a plan form in her mind.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." She said.

* * *

Ladybug took her yo-yo and headed off to find a place to detransform so she could call Meg. _Please pick up_.

The phone rang twice and there was an answer on the other end.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?" she sounded nervous.

"Meg! I'm glad you answered. Can you meet me somewhere? We need to talk. Privately."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Have you spoken to Cat Noir?"

Marinette hesitated, hearing the caution in Meg's question.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Marinette replied, avoiding a direct answer.

Marinette knew if she mentioned what Cat Noir had told her that Meg might not meet with her. After all, Meg hadn't told Cat Noir who Hawk Moth was and hadn't even mentioned knowing Hawk Moth's identity at all to Marinette. She needed to be careful.

"Where do you want to meet?" Meg asked.

Ladybug swung back to collect Cat Noir and they headed towards the river and waited for Meg in the same spot where she and Marinette first hung out. The night was quiet, with only a few crickets and the sound of the moving water below them.

"She should be here soon," Ladybug said, checking the time on her yo-yo.

Almost as if on cue, Meg appeared.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" She said, completely unsurprised to see both of them standing there in costume.

Cat Noir took a step towards her, "Meg, you have to tell us what you know about Hawk Moth."

"Yeah, I figured that's what this was about." She shifted nervously and looked at the heroes in front of her, "Other than that, have you two had a chance to talk yet?"

Ladybug and Cat Noir both blushed and fidgeted slightly.

"Yes," Ladybug gave her a small smile, "Thank you." If it hadn't been for the talk she had with Meg, Ladybug might have never accepted the way she felt. She was grateful that they'd talked.

A huge smile broke out across Meg's face.

"So you mean…like you two…?" she squealed, "Okay, so like…wow!" Meg could hardly contain her excitement, all hints of nervousness gone, and Ladybug and Cat Noir blushed even harder.

"You and I are talking about this tomorrow." She said to Ladybug, still grinning from ear to ear.

Cat Noir cleared his throat, "So, about Hawk Moth?" he said, bringing the conversation back to the reason why they were all there.

"Right!" Ladybug said, grateful for the turn in conversation.

Meg's smile was gone now, replaced with a somber look, and she was wringing her hands. (Her first goal, get Ladybug to confess her love for Cat Noir, had been completed. But she knew that the only way it would ever be safe for them to share their identities with each other, goal two, would be after Hawk Moth was defeated. However, this was going to be a slippery slope, considering who Hawk Moth really was.)

"Listen, guys…" she trailed off and averted her eyes.

"You have to tell us." Said Ladybug gently, placing a hand on Meg's shoulder.

"I know I do. It's just…." Meg fixed her gaze on Ladybug and then on Cat Noir.

"What's wrong?" Ladybug asked her.

Meg took a deep breath.

"It's complicated. There's a lot going on that you don't know yet, and…it's…heavy." She was looking at the ground. "I'll tell you, but not tonight."

"What, why not?" The heroes asked.

"There's something I have to take care of first. Meet me here tomorrow night, and I'll tell you everything I know."


	16. Chapter 16

Cat Noir leapt across town back home after patrol that night, his head still reeling after everything that happened. The cold air nipped at him, but he didn't notice. There was a lot on his mind, both worrying and reassuring.

He landed in his bed and released Plagg into the air, focusing on the good thoughts first.

"Ladybug loves me." He said with a warm smile on his face, remembering the softness of her kiss.

"What a shame, I was looking forward to more drama." Said Plagg, already rummaging around for a bite to eat.

Adrien ignored him and continued to hold onto the memory of the rooftop. He was still trying to wrap his head around his new reality, wondering what this meant for them going forward.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a message arriving on his phone. It was a text from Meg.

Adrien ran his fingers through his hair, remembering the other half of his night. He and Ladybug met up with Meg, who still hadn't given up the identity of Hawk Moth. She'd promised to do it the next day, saying there was something that she needed to take care of first. Adrien tried to remain patient, knowing that she'd tell them, but he didn't like knowing that Hawk Moth was roaming free another night when Adrien had more of a chance than he's ever had to do something about it.

He checked the text.

 **[MEG] I need to talk to you tomorrow, before we meet with Ladybug. Say, lunchtime?**

 **[ADRIEN] Lunchtime.**

Adrien chuckled at his little joke. Meg was excited for him and Ladybug when they met with her that night, saying she wanted details. That was probably what she wanted to talk to him about, although that sort of conversation is probably best between girls. Though, it's not like he could exactly talk to Nino about it, and Plagg wasn't much of a romantic. But now that he thought about it, he was grateful for whatever it was that Meg said to Ladybug to get her to confess his feelings for him. And he could use a bit of advice right now on what to do next.

Adrien settled into bed. These next few days were going to be intense while he and Ladybug came up with a plan for defeating Hawk Moth. It was probably a good idea to get some rest while he could.

* * *

It was Saturday, and for once Adrien didn't have a million things that he had to do that day, so he slept in until almost noon. When he woke up he floated around, brushing his teeth and getting dressed, still not over the events of the night before. In fact, he'd probably feel this way forever.

"Good morning, Plagg." He said to the little black ball that was still curled up on his pillow.

"If you say so," was his reply, pulling his blanket over his head.

"C'mon, we have to meet with Meg soon."

"I'm sure you can handle it without me."

Adrien sighed at Plagg's laziness and removed the lid off of a silver platter that Nathalie had sent up earlier, revealing a thick slice of, you guessed it, Camembert cheese. Suddenly, Plagg was wide awake.

"Can we go now?" Adrien asked, when Plagg finished devouring his food.

The kwami didn't answer; he just rubbed his belly with a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

Adrien's bodyguard dropped him off at the address that Meg sent earlier that morning. He'd invited to treat her to lunch, but she'd insisted on him coming to her place instead. He walked up the footpath and the three steps to the door, and it opened just as he was about to knock.

"Come on in." Said Meg shooting him a quick smile that he noticed didn't match the look in her eyes.

She led him to the living room where he sat on a fluffy grey couch in front of a glass coffee table. There were plenty of windows, so the room was bright with natural lighting and you almost couldn't tell that the walls were painted a very light shade of blue.

"Can I get you any water or anything?" she offered, walking towards the kitchen.

She seemed to be in a cheerful mood, but something didn't quite fit.

"No thanks." he said taking in his surroundings. "Nice place."

"Thanks," she said, returning with a tray full of mini sandwiches, sweets and a smaller round container, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

"This one's for Plagg" she said, indicating the smaller round container. "The lid is for the smell." She giggled, wrinkling her nose a bit.

At the mention of his name, Plagg popped out of Adrien's shirt. This was Plagg and Meg's first meeting, despite Adrien being aware of Meg's being aware of Adrien's secret for a few days now.

"Yum! But I didn't get you anything."

"Don't sweat it," Meg giggled, fondly watching the little creature peek into his dish.

She looked at Adrien and her smile faded, changing the energy in the room, and he noticed she held the same look in her eyes from when she answered the door. Nervous wasn't the right word for it. Neither was worried.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

She looked down for a moment, her hands massaging each other, and taking a deep breath, she looked back at Adrien. _Sadness,_ he realized.

"Meg, what's wrong?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Adrien, I have to tell you something, and it's not going to be very pretty." She held his gaze, wearing that serious look that she sometimes wore.

Adrien nodded, bracing himself for whatever she was about to tell him.

"About Hawk Moth's identity, he's…" She hesitated, pulling on the sleeves of her shirt and glancing over at Plagg, who'd stopped eating for this.

Adrien tensed, waiting for her to continue and wondering why she was telling him now, when she said she'd tell him and Ladybug together later that night. Something must have come up.

Her eyes wandered the room before coming back to meet his, holding them for one more agonizing moment.

"He's your father. Gabriel Agreste."

* * *

Adrien went numb. He sat there, staring at the empty space between him and Meg, her words echoing in his ears and his head starting to spin.

"You're wrong." He choked out. "You have to be."

"Adrien," she said softly, taking his hand and looking into his eyes. _Sadness_. "I'm not wrong."

He slowly sat back against the couch, his breathing uneven, and Plagg came over to comfort him. _This can't be,_ he thought. Meg had somehow known his identity and Ladybug's, yes. She claimed to know Rena Rouge and Carapace, but hadn't proven it. What if she really hadn't known those things? She could be wrong, couldn't she?

"But he…he was akumatized!" remembered Adrien.

This was a shred of hope, and he was holding onto it. This wasn't the first time his father was accused of being Hawk Moth. Ladybug thought so too, and she was proven wrong.

"It was a cover up, Adrien. Remember that book you found in the safe behind your mother's portrait?"

He nodded. It was a book about superheroes written in a language he couldn't read. Adrien lost the book at school, and that's when Ladybug accused his father of being Hawk Moth. Not too much later after that, his father was akumatized into the Collector.

"Master Fu knew that there was a good chance that whoever had the book was also Hawk Moth, and your father knew that the book would be traced back to him, so he had to cover his tracks."

"But it was just a book that my mom gave him."

Meg's eyes grew wide.

"Master Fu didn't tell you? Adrien, that book belonged to the Guardians of the Miraculous. It has all sorts of information in it about the miraculous and their special powers. Like the recipes Master Fu used to transform Plagg's powers to water or ice."

Adrien's head was reeling. How could he have not known any of this? Did Ladybug know about the book? _Probably_ , Master Fu did seem to share more information with her. She was the one who passed out additional Miraculous after all. _What else am I being kept in the dark about?_

"There's more, Adrien."

"More than my father being Hawk Moth?" that was hard to believe, as this was already so much to take in.

"Yes, actually, a lot more. For starters, Nathalie knows that Gabriel is Hawk Moth, and she's helping him."

Adrien gawked at her. "Why would she do that?"

"I think it's because she's in love with him, and she wants to help him…with his plan."

Adrien leaned his head back against the sofa. _Nathalie? In love? With my father?_ None of this made any sense to him. If there was anyone he knew that was more emotionless than his father it was Nathalie. _But I guess you'd have to be pretty emotionless to help Hawk Moth._

Adrien looked over at Meg as if to ask if there was anything else she wanted to tell him. Any other curve balls she wanted to throw at him and turn his life even further upside down?

Meg shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Adrien raised his head and furrowed his brow, afraid of what it was, but he needed to know. "Tell me."

"Adrien, d-do you know w-why Hawk Moth wants you and Ladybug's Miraculous?" she stuttered.

Adrien sighed, "I don't know, ultimate power or something like that?"

Meg let out a nervous laugh, and then bit her bottom lip. Adrien watched her as she continued to explain his father's motives for being the villain that he was. She avoided his gaze, which she'd been doing a lot today.

"The person who holds both the Miraculous of Creation and the Miraculous of Destruction gains the power to make any wish come true.

"Your father's wish," she looked at Adrien now, "Is to bring back your mother."

Adrien gaped.

"What?" he asked in a breath so small that it was barely a whisper.

"It's not confirmed yet if she's in a coma or…" she trailed off, "But your father has her in a glass coffin in an observatory under your home. That's also where his lair is. He wants to use the power of the miraculous to restore her."

 _My mother?_ Adrien's father told him that his mother disappeared, and this whole time he'd been hiding her quite literally right under Adrien's nose? Where he could visit and see her? Adrien looked at Meg, registering what she'd not said. His mother might not be in a coma, but she is in a coffin. His father wanted to bring his mother back to life, using the miraculous.

"Could he do that?" Adrien's hand subconsciously moved to touch the ring on his finger.

"As far as I know, yes." Meg answered, Adrien's eyes widening. "But listen, Adrien, the miraculous demand balance. If your mother is restored, then someone else would have to take her place."

"So if she's not in a coma…"

"Then someone else will have to die to bring her back to life. And if she is in a coma then someone else will be put into one to take her out of it. Either way, someone is lost for her to be gained."

Adrien sunk into the couch. He longed to see his mother again. To look into her eyes, or to hear her laugh or say his name. He missed his mother more than anything else. But he couldn't sacrifice someone's life just to get her back.

"Does…does my father know? About the balance?"

Meg swallowed.

"I can't be sure."

Adrien didn't want to believe that his father would knowingly sacrifice someone's life, but a small part of him knew very well that he would. Gabriel loved Emilie so much. He was a completely different man before her supposed disappearance, and afterwards he became cold and shut in. And after everything he's done as Hawk Moth, Adrien knew that there were no lengths that his father wouldn't go to in order to bring his mother back.

Adrien sighed a deep, long sigh. "Anything else?" he asked, dryly.

Meg let out another nervous laugh. Apparently she coped with laughter.

"Just one more thing, actually. And this one's a little lighter, I think." she said offering Adrien a small smile. "I think your mother was the previous owner of the Peacock miraculous. It's hidden in the safe, behind her portrait."

"Wow," was all Adrien could manage.

He sat there quietly absorbing all of the information that Meg had just poured on him. First, the villain terrorizing Paris and trying to steal his and Ladybug's miraculous was none other than his father: the man who was supposed to raise, protect, and love him. The woman who helped raise him was in on it. His mother wasn't actually missing, but being kept in a secret lair under the house either comatose or possibly dead. His father, the villain, was trying to magically resurrect her by stealing magic jewels that would essentially kill someone else to keep the balance. And on top of that, the "missing" peacock miraculous had been in his house this whole time and he probably overlooked it when found the book, which apparently was the clue they needed this whole time to discovering Hawk Moth's identity, and they almost had done so, except he was one step ahead.

And Meg just showed up one day with all of these answers.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked her.

She offered a half smile, "How do I know anything? I just do." She shrugged still avoided the question he'd been asking her for days.

"Look Adrien, I know this is a lot to take in, so if you want to hang out here for a while and talk, or not talk, I'd be happy to keep you company. I know you can't really turn to Ladybug about any of this because you have to protect your identity for now, and I want you to know that I'm here for you."

Her smile was a complete smile now, soft and genuine. Adrien was glad that she was his friend, because she was right; there was nobody else that he could turn to right now. And he certainly wasn't ready to go back home after what he'd just learned.

Adrien nodded his head in acceptance of her offer. After a moment, he cracked a wry smile.

"I think I'll take that glass of water now."

They chuckled, and Meg went to the kitchen while Adrien sat there in silence, grateful that he didn't have to be alone.


	17. Chapter 17

Saturday morning: A time for rest and rejuvenation.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the air smelled fresh. It was a lovely morning for the citizens of Paris and would've been a lovely morning for Marinette too, except for the grainy photo that Alya was waiving in front of her face.

"I've got the biggest scoop!" she'd yelled when she ran into Marinette's room at 8 AM.

"You are never gonna believe this, girl!"

Marinette didn't believe it, although she was looking at the photo. She hadn't even had a day to enjoy it herself, before the news was all over the Ladyblog.

A very small, black-suited figure had its arms wrapped around a very small, red-suited figure. The photo quality wasn't great, but there was no denying what was going on in that picture. Someone captured Ladybug and Cat Noir's kiss on camera and sent it in to Alya.

And she was over the moon about it, along with the rest of the Internet.

"Do you know what this means?! Ladybug and Cat Noir really ARE in love!" she squealed like a girl at a concert, not noticing the groan that escaped Marinette.

Everyone wanted to know if Ladybug and Cat Noir were now a couple, how long they'd been dating, and all of the other details that really didn't exist yet. Marinette didn't even really know what would happen between her and Cat Noir from this point forward. Sure, they kissed and she said she was in love with him, but Hawk Moth still needed to be dealt with.

Marinette looked at the clock. 8:30 AM. There were twelve hours between then and when she'd be meeting with Cat Noir and Meg to learn the true identity of Hawk Moth. Then she and Cat Noir could go after him and return the Butterfly miraculous to Master Fu. Only then would she be able to start thinking about what would happen in her love life.

She glanced at Alya still typing away in response to all of the comments on her blog, and although she tried, she couldn't help but join everyone in wondering all the same questions about Ladybug and Cat Noir. Marinette remembered the kiss from the night before and how she'd wanted to see Cat Noir's face without the mask. Maybe once they defeated Hawk Moth it would be safe for them to share their identities with one another. Maybe they even already knew each other.

Before, Marinette had always avoided wondering about Cat Noir's identity, because she didn't want to risk putting him or herself in any danger. Then again, they'd never been this close to knowing Hawk Moth's identity. Suddenly it was a possibility that they'd be able to safely share those details. It would certainly make dating a lot easier, and they'd be able to kiss without all of the paparazzi around.

She turned her attention back to her friend, who was still consumed with her latest story, and smiled at the thought.

* * *

After a long day of listening to Alya's theories and helping her parents out in the bakery, Marinette went up to her room for bed. At least that's what she told her parents. Her poor bed would remain empty a few hours longer while she met with Meg and Cat Noir to discuss the fate of Paris.

Ladybug swung across town to the meeting point by the river. The night was colder tonight than any other nights had been that week, and the clouds covered the moon and the stars making it a dark night as well.

A chill ran up Ladybug's spine, and she got a bad feeling as she walked to where Meg and Cat Noir stood waiting for her.

* * *

"But he was akumatized!" Ladybug could not believe her ears. _Gabriel Agreste?_

"It was a cover." Meg explained to Ladybug what she'd earlier explained to Adrien about his father and the book.

"I can't believe we allowed ourselves to be so easily tricked. All this time and—oh no! Adrien!" Ladybug looked horrified, "He's going to be so hurt when he finds out."

Her hand was over her heart; as if she could feel the pain that Adrien would go through, and no doubt feeling some of her own. Her feelings for Adrien might have changed in nature, but he was still very dear to her. Adrien would need her to be there for him as Marinette. As his friend.

"I… already told him." Meg said cautiously, not sure how Ladybug would take it.

Her eyes widened, and then focused as she came to a realization, "That's the important thing that you needed to take care of. The reason you wouldn't tell us Hawk Moth's identity last night."

"I figured if Ladybug and Cat Noir were going to expose his father as Hawk Moth, then he should know about it first."

Ladybug was furious.

"Do you have any idea how much danger you put him in? He can't know something like that yet."

"Ladybug, relax. Adrien knows how important it is to keep this a secret."

"Do you realize how he must have felt when you told him? What if Hawk Moth had taken advantage of those feelings?" Ladybug was pacing, trying to calm herself down. "Cat Noir, aren't you going to say something?" she asked.

"I'm…just as shocked as you are, Ladybug."

"Gabriel would never hurt his own son," Meg glanced at Cat Noir, "Believe me, he's gone through great lengths to try to keep him safe. In his own way."

"In his own way?" Ladybug asked. _Was Meg really trying to defend Hawk Moth?_

Ladybug looked to Cat Noir for backup, but he wasn't looking.

"There's more, Ladybug." Meg said.

She told her about Nathalie, the Peacock miraculous, Emilie Agreste being kept under the mansion, and about Hawk Moth's plan to bring her back.

Ladybug was speechless for a moment. All this time she thought Hawk Moth had some dark motives for wanting the miraculous, when in reality he just wanted his wife back. _That's so sad,_ she thought as a wave of sympathy washed over her. Ladybug's fists clenched at her sides. _It's no excuse._ No matter the reason why, Hawk Moth had caused massive amounts of damage and put all of Paris in danger. She was ready to end this.

And so was Cat Noir, it seemed.

He stepped forward, his staff extended, and ready to fight.

"Well what are we waiting for?" he asked.

Ladybug began twirling her yo-yo in response.

"Wait!" A worried expression sat on Meg's face as she looked between the two heroes.

"You don't even have a plan." She pointed out, "You can't just go barreling in."

The heroes slowed their momentum, looking to each other and seeming to communicate telepathically before speaking again.

"She's right," Ladybug reluctantly agreed, "We've never faced Hawk Moth head on before. What if something goes wrong?"

"Not to mention he's still in possession of a second miraculous. What if he decides to use it?" Cat Noir responded.

"Don't you think he would've used it by now if he were going to?" asked Ladybug.

"Not if he was just waiting for the right moment."

"Hello? What about Adrien?" Meg cut into their planning, "You were just talking about how much danger I put him in for telling him about his father. Now you want to take the fight to him?"

"You said his father would never hurt him." Cat Noir answered, brushing off her concern.

"He wouldn't." Meg retorted, "But what if, somehow, Adrien's safety became a question in the middle of the fight? It would become a distraction, and somebody would definitely end up hurt. One way or another."

She looked pointedly at Cat Noir.

"She's right. Again." Said Ladybug, noting the fierce look that Meg shot to Cat Noir in Adrien's defense. "We can't risk Adrien's safety any more than we already have."

Not that that was something that Ladybug was willing to do anyway. But she failed to consider the possibility of his safety becoming an issue during the actual fight.

"But Ladybug…" Cat Noir started.

She turned to him, brows furrowed, marveled that he would still press the issue when someone's safety was in question.

He held her gaze for a moment before turning away.

"You're right," he conceded, "It's too dangerous."

"Gabriel never leaves his home, so we need to get Adrien out of the house somehow."

A sound, almost like a scoff, came from Cat Noir's direction, but Ladybug couldn't be sure.

"Leave that to me," said Meg. "I'll get him out of the house and keep him out until the fight is over."

"Good thinking." Cat Noir smirked.

"Great. Now all we need is a plan of attack." Ladybug said, her hand on her chin.

* * *

Ladybug swung onto her balcony and landed in her room as Marinette. She knew she'd need a good night's rest for the battle that was to take place the next day. She also knew there was no way she'd possibly get a good night's rest that night.

Every battle she and Cat Noir fought had each been one step leading closer to this moment, and it was finally here. Before tonight, Marinette never would've blinked at the thought of taking down Hawk Moth, but with all of this new insight, she felt the smallest bit of sympathy for him. And that made her feel guilty.

So she tossed, and she turned, into the early hours of the morning.


	18. Chapter 18

It was evening, and Adrien and Meg were still sitting around the coffee table, nursing the hot cocoa that Meg decided they _had_ to have. They spent the afternoon mostly in silence with a bit of conversation here and there. Adrien was quietly processing, and Meg thought he was taking it pretty well. As well as one could when they find out their father is the villain, anyway. Say like, Luke Skywalker.

Adrien checked his phone, noting the time. They had to meet with Ladybug soon so that Meg could tell her everything she told him that day. Part of him would have rather stayed on that couch, hot cocoa in hand, and forgotten about everything that he had to deal with. But the optimism in him told him how to look on the bright side of things. If Hawk Moth had never been after the miraculous, then Adrien would've never had the chance to meet Ladybug or live the exciting life that he'd been able to have since becoming Cat Noir. Still, he wished Hawk Moth could've been anyone other than his father.

"We should head out soon." Adrien said, glancing over at Plagg who was curled up on the arm of Meg's chair, snoozing away.

Meg sipped her cocoa, which was a lot less hot since she'd been holding onto it for a while, but didn't meet Adrien's gaze. He could tell there was something she wanted to say to him.

"What is it?" he prompted her.

"I know you've had a lot to think about these past few hours, and I hate to put more on your plate, but you and Ladybug are going to have to face Hawk Moth eventually. Considering his identity…and yours…I don't know. Have you thought about telling her that Cat Noir is really Adrien Agreste?"

Adrien blinked. Quite frankly he'd still been wrapping his head around everything Meg told him that afternoon. He'd been analyzing all of the times his father kept him in the house or was "working late" in his office when Nathalie said he "couldn't be disturbed" and imagining his mother as a miraculous holder and wondering why his father lied about her disappearance all this time.

"Honestly, the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Do you think I should?"

"Well, I really don't know," Meg continued, "if you do tell her, Ladybug won't be distracted in the middle of the fight with whether or not Adrien is safe. It's happened before, and almost cost her her miraculous. But on the other hand, knowing that _you are_ Adrien could be a distraction in and of itself. She'd probably try to save you from having to fight your own father and end up getting hurt."

Adrien sat back. He hadn't even thought about how his identity could affect Ladybug, or anyone else for that matter. He dragged his hand across his face as though he could wipe the stress away, and sunk back into the couch.

"You don't have to make a decision right now," Meg said quickly, noting the distress she added to his situation with her question. "I was just wondering if you'd thought about it at all. "

He nodded in response, eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Well, it's almost 8:30," she said, checking her phone and softly petting Plagg to wake him, "We should go to the meeting spot."

* * *

They waited in silence for Ladybug to arrive at the rendezvous. Cat Noir was bracing himself to have to listen to the facts all over as if for the first time. As if every word that was to come out of Meg's mouth had no personal effect on him. He'd always had to keep his identity from Ladybug for safety reasons, but this was different.

There was a soft thud a few feet away and Cat Noir turned his head to see his Lady walking towards them. He should've been happy to see her, in light of the previous night's events, but all he felt was the pit in his stomach from knowing the conversation that they were about to have.

She had a serious look about her, which meant she was strictly business tonight. Nothing personal. It was a small relief for Cat Noir that he didn't have to put on too much of a show. He tried his best to look attentive while tuning out the words Meg said to Ladybug.

"Cat Noir, aren't you going to say something?" she asked.

"I'm…just as shocked as you are, Ladybug." Snapping back into focus.

"Gabriel would never hurt his own son," Meg glanced at Cat Noir, "Believe me, he's gone through great lengths to try to keep him safe. In his own way."

He understood that she was trying to comfort him the best she could without being too obvious, but from what he'd seen, his father showed no regard for his safety at all. Otherwise he wouldn't be putting him in danger every day. There were plenty of times where he, as Adrien, had been caught in the crossfires of an akuma attack.

"In his own way?"

"There's more, Ladybug."

He listened as Meg recounted all of the facts to Ladybug. He'd been in such a shock earlier when he heard this news for the first time, but now hearing it again he began to feel the slow burn of anger and betrayal course throughout him.

He stepped forward, his staff extended, and ready to fight.

"Well what are we waiting for?" he asked.

Ladybug began twirling her yo-yo in response. He could always count on his Lady to be ready for anything.

"Hello? What about Adrien? You were just talking about how much danger I put him in for telling him about his father. Now you want to take the fight to him?"

"You said his father would never hurt him." Cat Noir answered, brushing off her concern. And she knew _He_ was Adrien, so why would she bother to bring that up?

"He wouldn't." Meg retorted, "But what if, somehow, Adrien's safety became a question in the middle of the fight? It would become a distraction, and somebody would definitely end up hurt. One way or another."

She looked pointedly at Cat Noir, conveying a message only he would understand.

 _Oh, that's why._

"She's right. Again. We can't risk Adrien's safety any more than we already have."

He thought back to Meg's question about whether or not he would share his identity with Ladybug. If that was going to be what he decided, now would be the time. Adrien's safety wouldn't be a problem if she knew the truth, so he gathered his courage.

"But Ladybug…" Cat Noir started.

She turned to him, brows furrowed, a worried expression on her face.

 _But what if it becomes a distraction that gets her hurt?_ He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Ladybug was hurt because of him.

"You're right," he conceded, "It's too dangerous."

"Gabriel never leaves his home, so we need to get Adrien out of the house somehow."

Cat Noir couldn't help the huff that escaped him. This was silly. _I should just tell her the truth and things will be easier._ He looked at Ladybug, but was paralyzed by his fear of her getting hurt as a result of his confession.

"Leave that to me. I'll get him out of the house and keep him out until the fight is over."

"Good thinking." _I wish she'd said that sooner._ But he was glad that she'd given him the opportunity to make the choice, even if he chose to keep his identity a secret for now.

"Great. Now all we need is a plan of attack."

"I think I have an idea," said Meg.

Of course she did. She had all of the answers, and all of the ways to fix their problems, too. And it was a good plan. A safe plan. And they'd carry it out tomorrow. Not another day would go by where Hawk Moth, _my father,_ was a threat to anyone else ever again.

* * *

Adrien lied awake in bed that night, dreading the morning that was to come. His only comfort, other than the soft purr of his Kwami who lied snuggled next to him, was the miraculous that he held close to his chest. _The Peacock._ Believed to once belong to his mother, it allowed him to feel a closeness to her that he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

He'd disabled the cameras when he returned home that night from his meeting with Ladybug and Meg, and together Adrien and Plagg stole back the long lost miraculous. It was intricately designed, and arguably the most beautiful of all the miraculous, and would be returned to the miracle box tomorrow. So just for tonight, he held onto that piece of his mother.

He woke the next morning, still clutching the jewel, to the sound of Plagg on the desk fueling up for a big fight. It was Sunday, which meant his father wouldn't head into his office until twelve o'clock. The plan was for Adrien to head over to Meg's around eleven forty-five to "work some more on their school project." He sighed, getting out of bed and getting ready for the day, making sure to open his window so that he and Ladybug could enter later.

At eleven forty-five precisely, Adrien was in the car with his bodyguard headed to Meg's, the Peacock in his pocket. She would be returning it to Master Fu while he and Ladybug acquired the Butterfly. He looked out of the window at the city as he passed by, knowing things would be different after today, growing nervous as the time for the attack drew closer.

They pulled up to Meg's house and Adrien made sure his bodyguard saw him going inside. Meg closed the door behind them and Adrien turned to face her, extending the Peacock towards her.

"Let's do this," he said as she gingerly took the jewel from his hand. "Plagg, Claws out."

A flash of green light left Cat Noir standing there in Adrien's place.

"You can use the backdoor, it's under cover. I'll text Ladybug that we're ready." Meg said as she pulled out her phone.

Cat Noir turned to exit.

"Adrien?"

He turned back to look at Meg.

"Be careful." Her expression was a mix of sadness and worry for what he was about to do.

He halfway smiled at her, "This Cat's got it in the bag."

And with that he was off.

* * *

At twelve o'clock sharp, Ladybug was already waiting for him in his bedroom—something that would have been pretty amazing in any other situation—and he landed quietly in the room with her. He had to stop himself from calling out his de-transformation after the ever so familiar motion.

"You ready to do this?" she asked him.

In truth, he wasn't ready at all, and doubted he ever would be, but he knew he had to do the right thing.

"Should we call the authorities?" he asked, sliding up to the phone on his baton and feeling a pit, imagining his father being dragged away to a lifetime in prison.

"Maybe we should wait." Ladybug said, setting down the picture that he hadn't realized she was holding.

He raised an eyebrow, noting the hesitation in her voice and the look on her face that she was trying to hide.

"Well, there's still a big fight to happen, and we wouldn't want them getting in our way or getting hurt. We can call when it's done."

He nodded, but could still tell there was something she wasn't saying.

"Ladybug? Is everything alright?" he asked gingerly.

She ripped her eyes away from the photo again to meet his, and gently placing her hand on his cheek, she planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"It's nothing, _chaton_. Let's finish this."

The plan was simple enough: Sneak in through the window that "Adrien" left open for them. Check. Sneak through the mansion and into Gabriel's study. A little tricky, but check. Locate the hidden panels in the portrait of Emilie that would lead them into Hawk Moth's lair. How Meg knew about this secret entrance, she wouldn't tell them, but there Ladybug and Cat Noir stood, moments away from activating their descent into Hawk Moth's lair.

They stared at the portrait and then looked to each other, allowing themselves one final moment to brace for impact, and in unspoken agreement Cat Noir raised his hand and pressed the panels. The floor beneath them let out a hiss, and they sank into the ground, darkness enveloping them.

Cat Noir's pulse raced. This was it. This was the moment. It seemed that although they began in a descent, somehow they were now ascending, and he had no idea what to expect when they reached the other side of the dark tunnel they were traveling. He felt Ladybug squeeze his hand as they rose into a blue room filled with white butterflies and a lone figure looking out over the city.

The platform wasn't exactly quiet, and Hawk Moth whipped around to find Ladybug and Cat Noir standing there in battle stance.

"What! How did you...?" he started with a bewildered expression on your face. He stopped and smirked, "No matter, you'll soon realize the mistake you've made."

With an evil grin, Hawk Moth stretched out his hand and a butterfly landed in his palm. He covered it with his other hand, turned it into an akuma, and placed it inside his miraculous.

* * *

AN: I just want you to know right now that I skipped the fight. It goes right to the end of it from here. I had a few ideas (like Meg being so worried about her friends that she gets akumatized and HM finds out about everything and they lose the element of surprise and all of their secrets), but couldn't really think of a fight that fit with the plan of how I wanted this story to go. Something like that would've completely changed my outcome, and this story was never about this fight. It's always been about LB and CN and their reveal. The ending has already changed so much from what I originally imagined, and I'm 100% positive that it's better this way, and very excited to share it with everyone reading. With that being said, LUCKY CHARM!


	19. Chapter 19

AN: This chapter starts with LB, juggles between LB and CN in the middle, and then ends in CN. There were some things that I felt were better addressed right here and now instead of coming back and going through it again. I hope it's easy to follow.

* * *

Ladybug stared at the photograph in her hand while she waited in Adrien's room for Cat Noir to show up. It was a photo of Adrien and his mother. _They look so happy_ , she thought. She'd been in Adrien's room a few times before, but she'd never had time to look around at anything. It was an enormous space, kept in pristine condition, and it seemed to have everything in it that a teenage boy could want. Still, the air felt sad somehow.

 _Or maybe that's just me_ she thought, looking again to the photo in her hands. Adrien looked a lot like his mother, and he had her eyes, but he would never be able to look into them again, and Ladybug felt like that was somehow her fault.

She shook her head, knowing that was an irrational thought. Whatever happened to his mother to cause her current state wasn't Ladybug's fault, and letting Hawk Moth bring her back using the miraculous wasn't something she could allow, for sake of the balance. Still, she couldn't help but feel she was the reason this was happening.

Cat Noir landed in front of her, but his presence somehow only added to the grimness of the room. They should've both been pumped—they were about to finally defeat Hawk Moth—but instead they both seemed to have troubles eating away at them.

"You ready to do this?" she asked him, not feeling quite ready herself.

"Should we call the authorities?" he asked, sliding up the phone on his baton which made Ladybug panic.

"Maybe we should wait," she said, setting down the photo and catching the look on Cat Noir's face. "Well, there's still a big fight to happen, and we wouldn't want them getting in our way or getting hurt. We can call when it's done."

In truth, her stomach twisted in knots thinking of the authorities showing up there and she realized why she was uneasy. She was taking away Adrien's chance of having his mother back, and soon she'd be taking away his father too. Not to mention she'd be bringing a whirlwind of press down on him soon after news got out about his father. She could only imagine the torment that Adrien's life would soon become.

"Ladybug? Is everything alright?" Cat Noir asked, breaking into her thoughts.

She ripped her eyes away from the photo again to meet his. As terrible as it felt, Ladybug knew this was the right thing, and the only thing she could do. Looking up at Cat Noir, she felt a small amount of comfort knowing he was there with her to help bear the burden. She quickly stole a kiss, hoping to receive strength from it and set her mind to the task before her.

"It's nothing, _chaton_. Let's finish this."

* * *

"CATACLYSM!"

It had been a tough fight, and Hawk Moth was a formidable opponent, but in the end Cat Noir grabbed the Butterfly Miraculous from Hawk Moth's neck, leaving Gabriel Agreste lying on his back under Ladybug's lucky charm, and released the akuma for her to cleanse.

A quick toss of the Lucky Charm left the Butterfly Miraculous in Chat's hands, unharmed—victory at last. The room that was previously swarming with butterflies was now nothing more than a cold observatory with two heroes and one man left on his knees. The room was quiet as they stood there, catching their breath and staring at the man who caused all of this.

"Cat Noir, we need to get that to safety," Ladybug said quietly, feeling the solemnity in the room. The air was still charged with energy from the battle, but was quickly turning into something much more melancholy.

She looked from her partner and the prize in his hand to the man before her, still trying to believe that he was someone she'd previously admired so much, and thinking again of Adrien and his nearing circumstances. Seeing Gabriel, there on the ground, and knowing that he knew what he just lost made her feel sympathy that she couldn't push away.

Chat glanced at her, and then back at his father on his knees. There was so much that he wanted to say to him right then, but he knew that he couldn't and probably would never be able to. His emotions—anger, disgust, and sadness to name a few—were all over the place. So much that he'd probably be akumatized if they hadn't just defeated Hawk Moth. Cat Noir gripped miraculous in his hand and gave Ladybug a curt nod as he turned on his heels to find the exit.

"Wait!"

They stopped and turned to see Gabriel with his hand outstretched and despair across his face. His sentence was broken as he tried to choke out the words.

"The miraculous…my wife…" he hung his head unable to finish, and accepting his defeat.

Ladybug turned, not knowing what else to do, but Chat stepped forward and addressed him.

"I know you loved her, but this," he said stretching out his hands and practically yelling, "she never would've wanted any of this."

He turned and stormed towards the exit, past Ladybug who was shocked at his outburst. She gave one last glance at the man on his knees, and watched as he crumpled and began sobbing.

She caught up with Cat Noir on the roof as he pulled out his baton and was dialing a number. She briefly wondered who he was calling when Chat said the words "Get me the chief of police."

"Wait!" She cried grabbing his arm.

Cat Noir looked at her with confusion and she realized she had no idea what she was doing.

They stood there on the roof in the middle of a beautiful Parisian afternoon. There was a warm breeze, which was unusual for that time of year and the soft buzz of the city below could be heard. People chattering, cars honking, and birds singing. It was pleasantly quiet. Ladybug looked at the city around her, and at Cat Noir holding his baton. Nobody else had known yet what they'd done.

"Gabriel isn't a threat anymore, now that we have his miraculous…and…" she trailed off remembering the broken man on his knees. Her heart ached for him.

"He only wanted his wife back. And I know that doesn't excuse anything he did, but…he…can't hurt anyone now. And, and Adrien will need his father around, and"

Ladybug scrambled to think of anything else she could say that could convince Cat Noir not to call the authorities and allow things to pass over as if nothing had ever happened. Instead, she felt Cat Noir's arms around her as he pulled her in close to him.

He buried his face in her neck, surprised at the relief he felt, and breathed her a soft "Thank you, Ladybug," that he knew she wouldn't understand. But this meant so much to him, and he knew she would know it when the time came.

He pulled back and looked at the confusion on her beautiful face just as both of their miraculous beeped.

"Let's get this back to where it belongs." He said with a half smile.

* * *

Meg was sitting on the floor with Master Fu when Ladybug and Cat Noir entered. She'd already returned the Peacock and it was safe in its spot in the miracle box, Duusu no doubt happy to be reunited with the other Kwami.

Cat Noir held out his hand and presented the Butterfly to Master Fu.

"I think this belongs to you." He said, as Master Fu took it and placed it in its rightful position in the miracle box.

"Thank you Ladybug and Cat Noir. You have restored the Miraculous to me, and saved Paris, but not without a great cost." He said, bowing respectfully.

Meg walked over Cat Noir during the exchange, and she was studying him.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to where only he could hear.

"I will be." He said catching the nervous blush that ran across Ladybug's cheeks just then.

He felt as though a burden had been lifted, even though he had many more to bear. The fight that he and Ladybug had been fighting for so long was finally won, and now there was another burden he could lift as well.

Their miraculous beeped again, and he looked to Ladybug knowing that they were thinking the same thing.

Apparently everyone in the room was thinking what they were thinking because Master Fu and Meg stepped out to give Ladybug and Cat Noir some privacy. He might've found it funny under different circumstances, but he was running out of time. And under different circumstances he might've wanted to do this differently, but he was holding it together the best that he could, when really he wanted to scream. He wanted to cry or beat his fists against a wall. But that would have to wait, because he didn't know when or if he'd ever see her again if he didn't do this now.

Another beep.

He turned to her and took her hands in his.

"Ladybug, these past couple of days have been so hard for me, and in a moment you'll understand why. So before that happens I just want to say thank you for always being there for me. And for what you did for me today. I don't know when I'll see you again, so I need you to know—"

He was interrupted by the last beep before his transformation would drop, so he took her and pulled her in for a kiss.

It was much different from the first time he kissed her—desperate this time. She was a comfort for him that he desperately needed. He put on a good show, acting like everything was fine, when emotionally he was a wreck, and kissing her helped dull the pain he was feeling. He knew when it was over he'd have to finally deal with the pieces of his life that needed sorting through. Their transformations dropped, and for a moment he was afraid to open his eyes.

They stood there holding each other, foreheads together and eyes still closed. It was nerve-wracking. He'd wanted to know her identity for so long and the moment was here, but he didn't want it to be marred by his father's actions. Knowing Ladybug would be the only thing that would get him through these next few days. He let out a soft sigh.

"Ready?" he asked her, and felt her nod against his forehead.

They straightened up and slowly they both opened their eyes.

Adrien was surprised to find that he knew the blue-eyed girl staring back at him.

"Marinette?" he asked, his lips turning a small involuntary smile.

"Adrien?" she mirrored in response. "Adrien, oh my gosh." She said as her look turned frantic and worried.

And that was it. He did his part: defeat his father and give up his chance at having his mother back, and now the time to deal with reality had begun. Adrien hadn't planned to stick around after finding out who his Lady was. He hoped she'd understand now that she knew the truth.

He gave her a small, sad smile and left. He heard her call after him, but to his relief she didn't follow.

* * *

It was four in the morning and Adrien lied wide awake in bed staring at the ceiling. He'd walked the long way home that day, postponing the inevitable, and ignored Nathalie when she tried speaking to him. He locked the door behind him and blasted music through his headphones to drown out the world. He plopped down on his bed and had been lying there since, not even bothering to answer his door when Nathalie pounded and demanded he eat dinner.

The ceiling was tall. Far away, like Adrien wished he could be. And technically he could be. He had Plagg and could leave and go wherever he wanted, but there was nowhere that he wanted to go. He didn't want to be anywhere or do anything. So he lied there and stared. Tears came, off and on all afternoon and evening, and Plagg didn't talk much. He ate his cheese quietly and pretended not to be worried, but Adrien didn't pay much attention to him anyway. He just let the emotions engulf him as he lied there and stared.

Sunrise came and went, along with more knocking at his door. Most of the night he'd just felt numb, but hearing Nathalie's voice call to him sparked a new fire. She helped his father. She knew what he was doing all along and never said a word, never tried to get him to do the right thing. Instead she allowed and enabled him to terrorize innocents. He was just as disgusted with her as he was his father.

His father.

All this time Adrien only wanted the approval of his father. For what? What did he need to prove to a man who spent the majority of his time holed up in a secret lair manipulating people and destroying the city? Adrien previously believed his father's demeanor was only caused by the loss of Emilie, and that was something he could understand. It pained him when father drew away from him and he had to experience the loss of his mother on his own, but he understood. But to turn around and find out that everything was a lie was almost too much to handle. Of course Adrien was upset that his father was Hawk Moth, but what he didn't want to admit was that he was less upset about that fact and more upset that his mother was within his grasp this entire time and he was kept in the dark about it.

Right under his nose. Why tell him that she disappeared? Did his father even care about him? Didn't he realize how many nights there were like the one before where Adrien lied awake in bed wondering what terrible fate could've become his mother? Did something happen to her? Had she just run off? How could she have left him there? These were the questions that kept him up at night so many times before, and all to find out that his mother never left him. She wasn't even missing. His father knew exactly where she was this entire time. _Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he let me visit her? What really happened?_

Adrien jolted up, suddenly feeling claustrophobic, and couldn't take the questions burning in his mind any longer. He needed to escape. A quick glance over to Plagg let him know that his escape was available.

"Claws out."

He ran across buildings without stopping and with no destination in mind. The world around him was a blur but he kept running. The buildings became fewer and fewer until he found himself at the end of a small forest at the edge of the Seine. He contemplated following the river all the way to the coast. But that was just his mind playing fantasies. With a sigh, he sat down and listened to the flow of the water.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I finally finished this story and am too excited to upload it to stick to the once a week update (not that I was really sticking to it anyway). Please enjoy these last four chapters. (and a couple of deleted chapters, too) 3

* * *

Her Miraculous had already begun beeping, and her transformation was almost up. The Peacock and Butterfly had been restored to the miracle box. The threat was finally gone, and there was now no longer a reason to hide her identity from Cat Noir. The scene had been solemn at the Agreste mansion, but she didn't want that to take away from the moment she and Cat Noir earned. She didn't want to—no she wouldn't—feel guilty for enjoying the prize their victory allowed them to have.

Her miraculous beeped a second time, and she looked over to Cat Noir who whispered something to Meg, and felt a blush run across her face. She didn't know why she felt nervous all of a sudden. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, saying with his eyes what she was already thinking. Or maybe it was because she hadn't realized how intimate it felt to share a secret that she'd never shared with anyone else, and to receive the same secret in return. So she was thankful when Meg and Master Fu excused themselves from the room.

Another beep.

Cat Noir grabbed her hands and her heart began pounding.

"Ladybug, these past couple of days have been so hard for me, and in a moment you'll understand why. So before that happens I just want to say thank you for always being there for me. And for what you did for me today. I don't know when I'll see you again, so I need you to know—"

The final beeping interrupted his words and he pulled her in for a kiss. She felt the difference in this kiss from the one before. It was full of anguish that she didn't understand and his words worried her.

Their transformations dropped and they stood there holding each other, foreheads together and eyes still closed. Cat Noir said she would understand in a moment, and she braced herself to find out what it was. Whatever it was she could handle it, and she'd help him any way she could.

"Ready?" he asked her, and she nodded in response.

They straightened up and slowly they both opened their eyes.

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, his lips turning a small involuntary smile.

"Adrien?" she begun to smile, amazed by the boy in front of her, but her smile twisted into horror as she realized what this meant. "Adrien, oh my gosh."

He gave a heart-wrenching attempt at a smile and left. She called after him, but he didn't turn around. She wanted to chase after him, but her feet were glued to the ground.

Marinette's head began spinning as things slowly came into focus.

The great cost that Master Fu mentioned a moment ago. He'd been talking directly to Cat Noir and Marinette missed it. That's why Meg offered to get Adrien out of the house. She was covering for him. His embrace on the roof after she asked him not to call the police. The reason he didn't seem worried last night about possibly putting Adrien in danger. HE WAS ADRIEN. And he just had to defeat HIS father, knowing what was at stake.

And when they met with Meg the night before and she explained to Ladybug who Hawk Moth was, he had to stand there and pretend to not know anything. He had to act like he wasn't affected by any of it. The reason Adrien was so readily willing to help and hand over the Peacock. Adrien was Cat Noir.

This entire time.

Marinette felt guilty all over again. She couldn't possibly be happy with this victory knowing what it cost Adrien. What it cost Cat Noir, her partner and so much more.

She hadn't heard Meg and Master Fu reenter the room, but she felt Meg's hands on her shoulders as she lowered her into a chair. Marinette looked at her in disbelief.

"You knew this whole time…why did you let him…why didn't you tell me?! How could you…I could've…" Marinette was shaking and she couldn't focus. Meg knew the whole time that Adrien would have to face his father, and she let it happen. Didn't she know what that must've done to him?

"You know I couldn't tell you, Marinette." Meg said softly.

Marinette looked at Master Fu and read the solemn look on his face. He hadn't known either, and that was a relief. It was a strange coincidence though, that he chose Adrien of all people to become Cat Noir when his father was Hawk Moth.

She looked again at Meg and knew she didn't deserve her anger, but felt it all the same. Meg hadn't seen the look on Adrien's face a moment ago; she couldn't understand the pain she put him through.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she seethed.

"Me?! I didn't do anything."

"Exactly! You didn't DO anything! You magically showed up with all of the answers, but you couldn't prevent Adrien from having to go through with fighting his father! You 'just know' all these secrets, but you couldn't 'just know' a way to help Adrien?"

"I DID help Adrien! I didn't let him go in there and have to find out who his father was in some horrific death match. He knew and was prepared."

"How do you prepare for something like that?!"

"Girls please calm down!" Master Fu said stepping between them.

They stopped and looked at him and back at each other, the tension cracking, but only barely. Marinette caught a glimpse of Tikki and Wayzz in the corner with frightened looks on their faces. Tikki had never seen Marinette so angry before, and truthfully Marinette didn't think she ever had been that angry before.

But she wasn't angry for herself; she was hurt for Adrien, and she needed to go make sure he was okay.

She started for the door, but Master Fu stopped her.

"He chose to leave alone, Marinette. Allow him the space he needs."

She knew he was right; he always was. She sunk back into her chair, still shaking, and tried to fight the tears that began to fall.

* * *

Marinette trudged up the stairs to her room after unconvincingly telling her parents that everything was okay when they asked why it looked as though she'd been crying all afternoon. The truth was that everything was not okay, and she _had_ been crying all afternoon.

She beat herself up over and over, placing herself into Adrien/Cat Noir's shoes. They boy that she loved twice over had gone through so much in these past couple of days: finding out that his mother was within reach and that his father was trying to bring her back; finding out that his father was the villain in the story and having to choose between having both of his parents or having none; making the right decision, knowing the cost. Any one of those things would have been hard enough for Marinette to handle, but Adrien had to handle all of it at once. And he had to do it alone.

 _At least he had Meg,_ a voice in her head reminded her, and she winced at it remembering the way she yelled at her that afternoon. Marinette knew she was being too harsh on her, and that just added to the weight of everything she was feeling. In truth, she was glad that Adrien at least had Meg to talk to and support him when she could not.

Marinette sighed a deep sigh as she slipped into her bed and under the covers. She felt useless and guilty, curled up in her bed, but what else was there that she could be doing? She wanted to talk to Adrien and be there for him, but she knew he needed his space. But she also knew how miserable she felt this afternoon just imagining having to go through all of the things that Adrien actually had to go through, and she knew it was no comparison. And while he might have had Meg to hold his hand earlier, he was alone now.

She slipped out her phone and wrestled over what to say that wasn't too overbearing while letting him know she cared. She decided on four simple words.

 **[MARINETTE] I'm here for you.**

It might have been a selfish thing to do, seeing as it wasn't exactly giving him space. But she needed him to know that he didn't have to go through this alone.

She stared at her screen hoping to see a reply bubble, but all she saw was the inside of her eyelids as exhaustion took her over and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Marinette woke the next morning to a gloomy, grey sky and no reply from Adrien.

He wasn't in class either.

Or at his fencing lessons.

Marinette thought of stopping by his house to check in on him, but decided that would not have been the best idea. Not only had she agreed to let him breathe, but she also had no idea what she would find. Had Adrien decided to tell his father that he was Cat Noir, now that his father was powerless? Did his father know that Adrien knew he was Hawk Moth? She couldn't be sure, so it was better to stay away until further notice.

But even when she got into bed that night, she still hadn't gotten any messages from Adrien. She typed out another message on her phone, but decided better of it instead. He would reply when he was ready.

Another day went by and Adrien hadn't been seen or heard from.

And another.

Marinette sent him another text to check in on him, and that text also went unanswered.

Two more days passed and she called. His phone went to voicemail, and she left a message letting him know that she was still there for him. She wasn't sure if she was being selfish by texting and calling him, but she didn't know what else to do.

"Marinette, it hasn't even been a full week yet." Meg said when Marinette hung up after leaving her message.

They were in Marinette's room and she was pacing about while Meg sat on the chaise.

Marinette tried to apologize for her outburst when she saw Meg at school the day after it happened, but Meg said there was nothing to apologize for; it was a rough time, emotionally, and she knew that. It had been nice for Marinette, having Meg to lean on that week.

"I know, I know," Marinette replied, "he needs space. But I'm worried about him, Meg."

"He also needs time, Marinette. I know you've done a lot of imagining about 'what he must be going through.' But that's just it. You've been imagining it. He's been living it. He'll come around when he's ready. We just need to be patient."

"But what if one week turns into eleven years and I'm just left waiting As Time Goes On?"

Meg gave her a look.

Marinette plopped down onto the floor and leaned her head back on the chaise next to Meg, letting out a large groan as she did. She pulled up a picture of Adrien on her phone and stared at the boy she was missing.

"You're right. _I_ still haven't wrapped my head around the fact that his father was Hawk Moth, so of course I can understand if he hasn't either." She sighed, and swiped to the next photo.

It was the grainy photo of her and Cat Noir sharing their first kiss together, and she appreciated the paparazzi for once. All week Marinette had been so stricken with Adrien's situation that she hadn't really given much thought to the whole Adrien/Cat Noir/identity thing.

"Have you had a chance to wrap your head around _that_?" Meg asked pointing to the photo.

Marinette blushed and covered her face with her hands, letting out another groan.

"Not really. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"Hindsight is 20/20."

"All those times Cat Noir flirted with me, and I turned him down…and the whole time _he_ was the reason I was turning him down. Could you imagine if I'd known he was Adrien and he was in love with me the whole time? Paris would be a wreck."

"" _Hey M'Lady." "H-hi Cat No-noir."_ Stutter, stutter, trip, fall." Meg laughed and dodged the pillow Marinette threw at her.

"Ugh! And every time I got tongue tied in front of Adrien, he was really just silly old Cat Noir! With his lame puns, and pick up lines, and perfect hair, and sparkling eyes."

"I'm sorry which one are you talking about now?"

"MEG!" Marinette laughed and playfully shoved her.

She was starting to feel a little better than she had for most of the week. It was still so crazy that Adrien and Cat Noir, two people that to her seemed so different, were really the same person. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Can I ask you a question?" Marinette asked Meg.

"Go for it."

"Why did you tell me to let go of my feelings for Adrien when you knew he was Cat Noir? You had me believe he loved some other girl." She thought of the day Meg told her that Adrien was already in love with someone and let out a sigh.

"Sorry about that. The thing is…" she paused to gather her thoughts, "Adrien doesn't really get to be himself most of the time because he has an image to upkeep. And you're always too nervous around him anyway to really get to know him. When he's Cat Noir he doesn't have to worry about how he makes his father look, because nobody knows who he is. So he's the most relaxed version of himself. And I just…"

She paused again looking for the right words.

"I wanted you to know how you felt about that side of him, before knowing it was him—If that makes sense. I didn't want you to only like Cat Noir because he just happened to be Adrien. You needed to admit to yourself that the Cat got under your skin. Because if you really 'weren't in love with Cat Noir' like you kept saying" she rolled her eyes in a teasing manner, "then were you really in love with Adrien?

Marinette opened her mouth to protest, but closed it. That made sense.

"Perhaps if I hadn't been so shy around Adrien this whole time, I would've had the chance to see more of his playful side. Who would've guessed under all of that 'cool' disposition, he was really just a big adorable dork?"

"You mean he's a-dork-able?"

Their laughter was interrupted by a soft thud on the roof.

The girls exchanged glances, and Meg announced that she'd be downstairs.

Marinette scrambled to her feet and up the ladder to her bed. She opened the hatch to her balcony and was met with a pair of green, cat eyes.

"Cat No—Adrien." she fumbled, not really sure how to address him anymore.

"Hey M'Lady. Care to take in a stray?"

* * *

AN: Little shout out to As Time Goes On, a Fic I'm reading by an Author I really like on AO3, TiggerTink08. They defeat HM and Adrien leaves Paris for 11 years without telling Marinette he's Cat Noir (how she didnt figure it out when they both vanished and reappeared at the same time, IDK, but it's still amahzing). The whole gang is involved and it's about 10 chapters in. Go check it out, it's so good!


	21. Chapter 21

Adrien looked up at the sky. He'd been by the river all day, listening to the rush of water and thinking off and on, and now it was starting to get dark. He looked over at Plagg who seemed to be enjoying this lazy day and sighed. He knew he should be getting back home soon, but couldn't bring himself to move. He dreaded going back to that place. Not only that, he wasn't exactly sure which way home was.

He got up and followed the river, knowing it would lead him to a road eventually. It did, along with a sign telling him how far he was from Paris as well as a few other cities. Looking at the sign he got an idea: his family had vacation homes all over France, and Versailles was not too far from where he currently was. Maybe he didn't have to go back home right away.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which he'd earlier turned off in a more successful attempt to ignore Nathalie's calls, and turned it back on. It took about five minutes before the missed calls and messages stopped rolling in and he could finally send the text he needed.

 **[ADRIEN] Call the villa in Versailles and let them know I'll be staying for a few days. Don't come.**

He didn't bother with a "please" and sent the text to Nathalie. He would've rather ignored her, but she handled those sorts of things, and it was better for her to hear from him than to have her send the police searching after him. He quickly scrolled through the messages to see what he missed. They were nearly all from Nathalie demanding to know his whereabouts, and to his slight surprise and disappointment not a single one was from his father. He was silently hoping that he'd find at least one message or missed call from his father after being gone all day. Not that the reason he left was to get his attention, but the thought crossed his mind when he turned his phone back on. Nevertheless he knew he shouldn't have been too surprised when there was no indication that his father cared. _Why expect any different?_

He continued scrolling through unopened texts before he came across the one he received from Marinette the night before.

 **[MARINETTE] I'm here for you.**

He hadn't known how to respond, but those four words did comfort him a little.

He was surprised to know that the girl he loved and saved Paris with on a daily basis as Cat Noir, was also a girl that he knew and was friends with as Adrien. He'd wanted to know Ladybug for so long, and this whole time he was just one row ahead of her in class. And of course Ladybug would be Marinette. She was a help to everyone and a natural leader when they needed one. Adrien could think of no one better to wear the mask.

His phone began ringing and he looked down to see Nathalie's name pop up on the screen. He thought about not answering, but knew he had a better chance of getting the villa set up if he did.

"Hello?"

"Where on Earth have you been? I've been calling you all day. You've missed all of your appointments and they've had to be resch—"

"Did you set up the villa?" he cut her off.

She paused for a moment, seemingly taken aback by Adrien's attitude. It gave Adrien enough time to interject again.

"Set it up. I should arrive in an hour or so." He hung up the phone and looked over to Plagg on his shoulder.

"Will there be food?" he asked.

"If she does her job. Claws out."

* * *

Adrien spent the next couple of days at the Villa, continuing to ignore his problems. He knew he had to face them sooner or later, but he really didn't know how. Yes, he'd have to go back home, but then what?

He mulled over his options while absent-mindedly pressing the controls on the game he was playing. He could A) tell his father that he was Cat Noir and that he knew everything that happened, or he could B) pretend that nothing happened. Of course he could always C) say that Ladybug and Cat Noir told him that Gabriel was HM so that he could still address the issue without blowing his own identity or he could D) pretend that everything was normal. Though, the timing of Adrien's little holiday suggested either A or C more than it did B or D. He would need an explanation for his sudden departure.

His character got eaten and 'Game Over' appeared on the screen. He tossed his head back and sunk into the sofa with a sigh. He still hadn't gotten so much as a text message from his father during his stay at the villa. Part of him wondered what he'd been doing since his defeat. Had he been trying to come up with some wild revenge scheme? _Probably_. Adrien knew his father was not the give-up type. _Why bother checking on your son when you could plot instead?_ He shook his head. It didn't matter anyway, it's not like he even wanted his father to check on him. Not after everything he'd done as Hawk Moth.

Adrien closed his eyes and sighed again. He knew that wasn't true either. No matter how hard he tried not to get his hopes up, there was a part of him that hoped to see a difference in his father. Part of him hoped that, now that Gabriel was no longer Hawk Moth, he might reach out to his son and they could finally mourn the loss of Adrien's mother. Together. Instead, Adrien was however many miles away and Gabriel showed no interest in his son's return.

He rubbed his temple. _Why do I even care?_

Adrien grabbed the phone beside him scrolled to his text thread with his father. The last messages between them were stale at two months old. He sighed, exiting the thread and his eye caught the message that Marinette sent him two nights before.

 **[MARINETTE] I just want you to know that I'm thinking about you.**

He still hadn't responded to it, or to the text she sent a few nights before that one. He stared at the newer message in his hand not sure how to respond. _Thanks? Me too? I love you?_ He sighed, tossing the phone aside and slumped further into his seat.

"You sure are doing a lot of that." Plagg said from across the room.

Adrien looked over at him, not sure what he meant. "A lot of what?"

Plagg let out a heavy, exaggerated breath to tell Adrien what he meant. "I know this is Ver _sailles_ and all, but come on."

Adrien let his lip curl ever so slightly at the pun as Plagg floated over to the armrest next to him.

"Things will get better."

Adrien smiled a little more at his kwami. Plagg had been trying to comfort him all week and Adrien thought it was sweet of him. Plagg usually hated feelings, or at least pretended to, so it meant a lot to Adrien that he'd been sensitive.

"Thanks, Plagg." Adrien said, letting out another sigh.

Plagg raised his eyebrow at him and Adrien chuckled.

"It's just…Marinette. I can't believe I never realized...This whole time the girl I was in love with was right behind me and I never knew it. I mean, I always knew Marinette was awesome, I just..."

Adrien thought about his encounters with both Marinette and Ladybug and compared them to one another. Marinette was sweet but she could be clumsy, and though he knew Ladybug to slip up here and there, he'd never seen her as clumsy as he'd seen Marinette. And Ladybug was always so confident and took charge, and while he'd seen Marinette do the same, he'd also seen her become flustered more often than not. He'd hardly ever seen Ladybug fluster that way. _I guess I could see how I missed it._ And Marinette was smart and kind and beautiful. She always looked out for her friends and was willing to help anyone in need. Like Ladybug.

"But of course now it makes so much sense."

"Hindsight is 20/20."

He remembered the first time he talked to Marinette as Cat Noir and groaned at the memory. He must've looked so silly! And she just played right along, pretending that fighting a villain was new to her. He laughed at the slightly embarrassing, yet now fond memory. Ladybug had a secret mission that night, which he now realized was that she had to be on the boat with Evilustrator.

And then there was that time he landed on her roof after Ladybug stood him up.

Adrien put his face in his hands. He was supposed to meet her, Alya, and Nino that night for ice cream. She'd already had plans to hang out with him that night and neither of them knew it. So technically he was the one who stood _her_ up.

Then on her balcony, he let slip to Marinette that he was in love with Ladybug, but _she_ was Ladybug. And then he took her right to the surprise that he had planned for HER. _How ironic._

He sat there trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. Ladybug said there was another boy, but he hadn't known Marinette had so much as a crush, let alone have someone she was in love with. Then again, that same night Marinette said she'd had her heart broken, and that was equally a surprise then as it was now.

Who was this boy? Adrien sometimes wondered who he was before, but that was when he could've been anyone in all of Paris. Now that he knew Ladybug was Marinette, he figured he probably knew this boy too. He idly wondered who this mystery boy was, but only out of curiosity. After all, she loved him now. _I suppose it makes sense. After he broke her heart, she was finally able to move on from him._ Not that he was glad she'd had her heart broken, but whatever idiot hurt Marinette did him a huge favor. _Wait, that came out wrong._

He shook his head to try and reset his thoughts.

Adrien's mind carried him back to the night exactly one week ago when Ladybug told him she loved him. It seemed like forever ago now. That night was perfect. It was before his world got turned upside down with the truth.

He looked again at the text message from his lady that he left unanswered and realized how much he missed her. He's spent the whole week at the villa, thinking that he wanted to be alone, but all that made him feel better was rereading the texts that Marinette sent him. He missed her. He missed her smile, her laughter, her warmth. He didn't want to be alone at the villa anymore.

Adrien stood up, and looked at Plagg.

"You ready to blow this Popsicle stand?"

Plagg stretched and yawned, "Yeah. It was starting to get boring around here."

* * *

Cat Noir was just a few buildings away from Marinette's. He could see the light on in her room, but for some reason he still hesitated. _What am I going to say to her?_ He thought of a few worst-case scenarios before shaking off his fear and making the last couple of leaps.

As he got closer, he heard familiar laughter and realized Meg was with her. The laughter stopped when he landed on the roof and he heard Meg say she'd be downstairs. He listened to Marinette scramble up her ladder as he waited for her to open the hatch.

He nearly felt all of his stress melt away when those beautiful blue eyes peeked out at him.

"Cat No—Adrien."

"Hey M'Lady. Care to take in a stray?"

She was speechless for a moment as though she didn't believe he was really there. When she finally snapped out of it, she let out a small "yeah" and moved back so he could enter her room.

He'd been in her room twice before, once as Adrien playing video games with Marinette and once as Cat Noir fighting Troublemaker with Ladybug. _Ironic._ It was the same as he remembered it: very pink with photos of him everywhere. Although the photos had only been up when he was Cat Noir.

She seemed to remember that fact right as he did because she blushed before they made eye contact and burst out laughing together.

"That's funny on so many different levels." She said, remembering how flustered she'd been, knowing that Adrien had seen the pictures of himself on her wall from the broadcast and then saw the pictures in person as Cat Noir. _Still have to get my head around that,_ she thought.

"I wish I'd known M'Lady had so many pictures of me on her wall." He said, waggling his eyebrows.

She snorted, " I wish _I'd_ known I had so many pictures of you on my wall."

"It's a good thing you're into fashion or I never would've made the cut."

She was confused for a moment before she blushed, remembering how she explained all of the photos to Adrien the next day at school.

"Oh, right."

They moved off of her bed and onto her floor and kind of stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do.

"So…how are you?" Marinette asked cautiously. She was trying not to look too worried, but Cat Noir could tell that she was anyway. It wasn't too long ago that she sent him a voice mail, and she wondered if that was the reason he was here now.

"I'm…better." He answered. It was the truth at least. He'd had time to process during that week, and so he wasn't in the same mindset that he was when he left, but he was still far from okay. But he wasn't there to talk about that. He missed her and just wanted to feel normal for a while. Even if being in Marinette's room as Cat Noir wasn't normal at all.

"Mind if I…?" he gestured to himself, meaning to drop his transformation.

"Oh, yes of course." She blushed, again. She'd only recently learned that she was in love with Cat Noir, and now he was Adrien too? And they were both here in her room. It was only one person, but _wow this is weird_ she thought. _No wonder Cat Noir was so handsome. How did it take me so long to realize that?_ Marinette couldn't keep the awe off of her face as he dropped his guise.

"Claws in."

Plagg appeared out of the miraculous and floated into the air.

"Nice to see you again." He said.

Marinette giggled, "Nice to see you too."

"Wait, you two have met?" Adrien asked. _When did this happen?_

Plagg nodded while Marinette answered, "Yes a couple of times. The first time was when he helped me battle Style Queen because you…wait… _ooohhhhh_!" she said, her eyes wide as she come to a realization.

"He told me Cat Noir lost his miraculous, but really—"

"I was turned to glitter."

" _Wow."_ She whispered as she sat down on the chaise. Adrien came and sat next to her enjoying the surprise on her face.

"And to think, I just thought you were irresponsible."

"Me, irresponsible? Never." He teased. "Then again, there was that time I snuck out to go to the movies and you had to save me from that crazy mob. Then my bodyguard got akumatized, and you saved me again as Ladybug." He smiled at her and the memory. "I knew you wouldn't let me fall." He said, poking her in the ribs.

She giggled, "I wondered what was taking Cat Noir so long to show up that day. But wait, how did you pull off being in two places at once?"

He grinned at her, "Well when Ladybug told me how much she trusted Cat Noir, I knew I couldn't let her down. So I got that crazy fan to pretend to be me so I could swoop in and help you out."

She blushed, remembering how she gushed to Adrien about how much she trusted Cat Noir. Who was Adrien. _How many times had they done that to each other?_

 _"_ This is cute and all, but you got anything to eat around here?" Plagg said, breaking up the fluff.

"Plagg!" Adrien whined.

Marinette laughed it off, "It's okay Adrien. Actually, Plagg if you want to head down to the kitchen, Tikki is down there with Meg. I'm sure they'd be happy to see you, and Tikki knows where all the good stuff is."

"What about your parents?" Adrien asked.

"They're out of town and wont be back until some time tomorrow."

Plagg zipped through the floor in search of food, and Marinette and Adrien continued talking about all of their Ladrien/Marichat encounters.

"Remember that time we were both supposed to be in Clara Nightingale's music video as ourselves?!"

"I was so nervous because I knew that everyone would recognize me as soon as I put on the mask, so I hid mine!"

"I hid mine too! Those costumes were just too good!"

They laughed until their sides hurt. Wow, looking back that was a crazy coincidence that the actual Ladybug and Cat Noir had both been chosen to play themselves, alongside themselves.

Adrien was having a really good time, laughing with Marinette in her room about all of the memories they made together and loving how knowing that it was her all along made the memories even better. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little sad with each one, knowing that the were all marred by the truth that his father was the reason they'd been in each and every one of those situations.

Marinette tried to keep Adrien laughing, but could tell there was no way to erase his father's impact on each memory. She searched for a way to change the subject to something lighter about their relationship.

"The funniest thing to me is that the whole time you were chasing me as Cat Noir, I was chasing you as Marinette." She laughed, but realized Adrien wasn't.

She looked over and saw the confused look on his face.

"What do you mean you were chasing me as Marinette?" his pulse quickened when Marinette's brow furrowed and he heard her say

"Well Adrien I…" She blushed and looked down, she giggled and felt silly. It was only Cat Noir next to her, her partner whom she'd already confessed her love to. "I was crazy in love with you since like the day we met."

Adrien felt his expression drop. She had to be joking.

"I was the boy you were talking about?"

She smiled a tiny smile and nodded.

He felt like an idiot.

"I was the boy who broke your heart." He said in an almost whisper.

He groaned and covered his eyes. _THAT'S why she was upset that night._

"What do you mean?" she asked. He peeked out from under his hand and saw her confused expression.

"That night when I came to your roof, after we were supposed to get ice cream. You told me you had your heart broken."

He watched her face as she remembered the incident. Her expression softened.

"That wasn't really your fault though. You weren't allowed out of the house."

He smiled a sheepish grin.

"That's not entirely true," he paused at the look she sent him. "I didn't come because I was setting up my surprise for…you."

Marinette felt her face freeze as she locked eyes with Adrien. _So much miscommunication._ They stared at each other's expression for a moment before doubling over in laughter again. This was going to take some getting used to.

* * *

They continued that way, laughing for a while and talking for a while longer. Adrien eventually felt the pull to tell her about the week he had and she sat and listened compassionately. This talk with her helped him so much more than the entire week away had helped him. He was able to work through a bit more of how he felt with her listening and offering encouraging words and insight. Why hadn't he done this sooner?

Adrien grabbed his phone to check the time and noticed it was a little past two in the morning. He jumped to his feet, surprised at how much time had past. He'd gotten there around ten.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked, startled by his sudden movement.

"I didn't realize how late it was," he showed her the time.

"Wow! Time flies. Oh man!" she said looking down at her door. "We left Meg downstairs. She probably ended up falling asleep on the couch." Marinette felt a little guilty. You don't ditch your friend when she's sleeping over at your house! Girl code.

Adrien scratched the back of his neck, sharing in some of Marinette's guilt. He hadn't meant to crash their party.

"Sorry about that, M'Lady. Should we go get her?"

Marinette thought for a moment about whether she should wake her friend up or leave her be, but before she could answer Adrien's phone started ringing.

They glanced at each other, wondering who'd be calling at this hour. Surely even Nathalie was asleep by now. Adrien picked up his phone and nearly dropped it.

His father was calling.

This entire week his father hadn't called, text, or even sent a message through Nathalie. But now he was calling at two a.m. Adrien froze, not sure what to do.

"Answer it," Marinette urged him. She knew from their talk earlier that he'd wished his father would've reached out to him.

"Right," he said, still a little shocked. He answered it, not knowing what to expect.

"Hello?"

"Adrien. I called the villa but you weren't there. Tell me your location so I can send a car to pick you up. We need to talk."

Adrien was shocked. _He called the villa looking for me? He wants to talk to me right now?_

 _"_ It's two in the morning." He answered, dumbly. He was still trying to process the request and that escaped his lips.

"Please, son."

Adrien's eyes widened. He couldn't remember the last time he heard his father say 'please' to anyone. Especially not to him. And the way his voice seemed to crack. Whatever he wanted to talk about had to be important.

Adrien looked to, Marinette and she nodded her head, before he told his father the address to her bakery and hung up with his father.

He sat down on the chaise beginning to feel knots form in his stomach. Was his father ready to tell him about, well, everything? Why now so suddenly? Had something happened?

Marinette could tell Adrien was feeling nervous and she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He looked up and met her eyes.

"You can do this," she said, before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss.

That was the first time they'd kissed that night and suddenly Adrien wondered why they hadn't done that sooner. He grinned and kissed her again, to which she giggled, before standing up to leave. He knew the car wouldn't take long to get there, and he needed to fetch Plagg from downstairs.

* * *

The car stopped outside of Adrien's home and he got out and walked into his house. His nerves were rolling off of him wondering what his father was going to say.

"He's waiting for you in your room." Nathalie said. She'd been waiting in the foyer for Adrien's arrival.

He wasn't really sure what to say to her, but after his talk with Marinette he'd been able to sift through some of his feelings.

"Thank you." He managed.

He headed up to his room and paused outside of his door, bracing himself before going in.

He'd expected to see his father waiting for him on his couch. He hadn't expected to see his mother waiting there beside him.


	22. Chapter 22

_Thud_

Marinette and Meg looked at each other, both aware of what caused the sound on the roof.

"I'll be downstairs," Meg said as she hurried to give Marinette some privacy with Adrien.

"C'mon, Tikki." She said, and the pink kwami followed her down the stairs.

Meg stood below the door, listening for just a moment to be sure Marinette and Adrien were thoroughly occupied, before heading down to the living room.

She was nervously wringing her hands and pacing across the floor. She asked Marinette if she wanted to have a sleepover this weekend while her parents were away, but that was just so she could have a chance to talk to Tikki. And this was it. Meg didn't think Marinette would have any objections to what she was about to suggest, but Meg didn't want to get Marinette's hopes up for nothing.

She paused in her pacing; once again listening to the upstairs to make sure no one was coming. _It's now or never._ She glanced over to Tikki who was nibbling on a cookie much bigger than herself.

"Tikki, can we talk?"

She looked over her cookie with a questioning expression. Usually when someone starts a conversation with 'can we talk,' you know it's going to be something serious.

"What is it, Meg?"

She sat on the sofa and Tikki sat on the armrest next to her, and she took a deep breath.

"I think we can bring Adrien's mom back." She whispered, careful of Cat Noir's hearing.

Tikki almost choked on her cookie.

"WHAT?!"

"Shhhh." Meg glanced upstairs, hoping Adrien hadn't heard.

"I think it's possible Tikki."

"You know the miraculous require balance, Meg! What are you thinking!" Tikki whispered urgently.

"Yes,If you use both of them together; Your creation, plus Plagg's destruction. But what if you only use the good, and not the bad? Your miraculous cure can fix anything."

"Usually, but Marinette has sent it off so many times and nothing has happened."

"Exactly. Marinette has sent it off."

Tikki finally seemed to be catching on to what Meg was saying.

"You and I both know that you can use your powers without Marinette's help, and when you do it's exponentially more powerful. Ever since seeing what Plagg can do, I've wondered what kind of potential your power has."

"But I can't bring people back from the dead, Meg."

"Not even if that death was caused by a Miraculous?"

"What?" Tikki dropped her cookie.

"Well it's not exactly confirmed, but I'm almost one hundred percent certain that Emilie's illness was caused by using the peacock miraculous. Apparently it's damaged, and that can make whoever uses it very sick."

Tikki looked suspiciously at Meg.

"What do you mean it's not confirmed?" she asked Meg, whose expression froze at the question.

"I mean it's a theory I have that I haven't confirmed yet. Didn't Master Fu tell you the Peacock was damaged?"

Meg knew he had. She'd been there when it happened, the same day that Meg returned it to him.

At that moment Plagg flew into the room.

"Hey, Sugar-cube! Got anything to eat around here?" He practically tackled Tikki in mid air.

"Not now, Plagg!" Tikki said, completely unamused by the interruption.

"If not know, then when?"

Tikki sent him a fierce glare, and he seemed to get the hint.

"What's going on with you two?" he asked the girls.

"Nothing." Tikki said, while at the same time Meg said

"I want Tikki to use her Miraculous cure to bring back Emilie Agreste."

"Oh boy," Plagg said looking between the two of them. "Are you sure you don't have anything to eat?"

* * *

Tikki led them into the kitchen and Meg took out some cheese for Plagg. She knew if she didn't get it for him that he'd eat Marinette's whole kitchen.

"I believe that if whatever happened to Emilie really was caused by a miraculous, then you should be able to fix it, Tikki." Meg went on.

"Well…she hesitated, it does make sense. But I don't know."

Tikki faltered, looking to Plagg for help. He shrugged.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Sugar-cube. You'd be doing a good deed, which is something you _girls_ like to do, and there really is no risk involved."

"No risk? What if Hawkmoth—"

"Hawkmoth is gone." Meg interjected, and received a sharp look from Tikki.

"What if _Gabriel_ , tries to capture me."

"Tikki I've seen you phase through solid objects before." Meg replied.

Plagg shrugged again.

Tikki sighed and looked at the two of them.

"What if it doesn't work?" she asked quietly.

"It will," Meg said reassuringly. "But if it doesn't, nobody will ever have to know it was even on the table."

"I'll even go with you if you're that worried, Sugar-cube." Plagg said, earning a surprised look from Tikki. Plagg didn't often do things for others. Maybe Adrien was rubbing off onto him.

She looked up at the ceiling where Marinette was somewhere above them and sighed. She was afraid, but knew that Meg was right. If she had the power, she should at least try.

"Okay," she looked at Plagg, "But we have to hurry and get back soon before those two come down looking for us."

"Right," Plagg said with a small salute.

"Take this," Meg handed Plagg a cookie and laughed at the way his nose crinkled.

"It's for Tikki if she needs her strength afterwards. If those two come down, I'll keep them busy. Good luck guys."

* * *

The kwamis flew through the city together, Plagg careful to hold onto the cookie that Meg trusted him with. He couldn't let his Sugar-cube down if she ended up needing it.

Plagg showed Tikki a shortcut to Adrien's place. They didn't have to worry about cameras since kwamis can't be captured on film, but they avoided them anyway because a floating cookie probably would've been suspicious. Once inside, they had to be extra careful not to be spotted by actual people.

Or so they thought. The place was dead. Not that it was ever a party zone or anything, but Nathalie wasn't around. Adrien's bodyguard wasn't around, and they hadn't spotted Hawk—Gabriel anywhere either. That was strangest of all since he never left his home.

Plagg quietly led her through the mansion to the office, and when they made sure the coast was clear, they phased through the painting and followed the tunnel. They remembered the dark tunnel from when Cat Noir and Ladybug traveled it, but it was different this time without their holders with them.

They went down the long tunnel until they saw the faint glow of light. It got stronger as they got closer, but not much stronger. As they approached they saw the glow came from a single light above a glass coffin.

It was Adrien's mother, and she looked perfectly preserved. But she wasn't alone. Gabriel was knelt in front of her coffin, and it looked like he'd been there for days. His features were gaunt and his clothes were worn, loose and dirty. His hair was disheveled and his glasses were on the floor beside him. This was a far cry from the man they knew him to be, and from the man they defeated less than a week ago.

The kwamis froze, not knowing what to do. They'd talked about phasing through if he tried to capture them, but they'd both hoped they wouldn't even come face to face with him. And there he was in front of their objective.

Tikki looked at Plagg and took a deep breath. He nodded his head, ready to provide backup if she needed it. She cautiously floated over to Emilie, hoping Gabriel wouldn't look up and see her there.

So of course he did.

She froze, mid float, and they stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them moving. After a moment Gabriel turned his head back to his wife, ignoring the kwami in front of him. Surely he knew what she was?

Tikki looked back at Plagg and he shrugged.

She was uncertain, but she still moved forward until she reached the glass case. She and Gabriel looked at each other again, but he still didn't move.

"Miraculous Ladybug." Tikki whispered, her hand on the case.

The room swarmed with the magic ladybugs and encircled the case, knocking Gabriel backwards, and he stared in wonder at the magic before him. When the ladybugs vanished he peered into his wife's case. At first, nothing happened. But then her eyelids fluttered. Then they opened.

Gabriel sucked in a breath that he'd been holding since the magic began, and then he choked it out, astonished at what he just witnessed. This was the power of the miraculous. And after everything he'd done, she still…

He looked at the kwamis before him with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you."

They nodded and hurried away.

* * *

Adrien and Marinette quietly headed downstairs together to get their Kwamis, only to find that everyone was still awake and having a two a.m. meal.

"What are you guys doing still awake?" Marinette asked?

Meg gestured to the table in front of her, "Eating. Having a sleepover without you losers." She smiled teasingly.

"Sorry about that." Marinette said, rubbing her shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm glad you guys took your time."

* * *

"YOU WHAT?!"

After Adrien left, Meg and Tikki told her what they'd done. It was no doubt the reason Adrien's father called him away. Tikki and Meg (and Plagg before he had to go) were celebrating.

After the initial shock wore off of the insanely dangerous thing Tikki had done, and that Meg asked her to do, she rose to celebratory levels of joy and shared in the occasion.

Adrien would have his mother back. That was the most amazing thing Tikki could've done for him, and for that she was grateful. Talking to Adrien in her room she'd realized exactly how hard he's had it. Not only this past week, but since his mom's 'disappearance.' She was so happy that it brought tears to her eyes. They only spilled after Meg's "Aww Don't cry." And then everyone was crying.

It was a good cry though, one that was joined with laughter and shared with friends. She wondered if Adrien was having something similar with his family in that same moment, and smiled at the thought.


	23. Chapter 23

"Sit down son, we're overdue for a talk."

Adrien stood in the doorway of his room, mouth agape and frozen in shock at the sight in front of him. He blinked his eyes a few times, not believing they were showing him the truth. But there she was. His mother was really there, in his room, sitting on the couch with his father.

"Adrien, dear. Please come sit."

His mother's voice, light and clear as a bell, broke through his haze. That was something he hadn't heard in a long time, but remembered perfectly as though he heard it yesterday.

Slowly his feet moved toward the sofa where they say.

"M- mother?" he said, still not completely coherent.

 _What happened while I was gone?!_ Of all the things he imagined his father wanted to talk to him about, this was not on the list. Any hostility Adrien felt toward his father over this past week had ebbed into curiosity and wonder at the lady sitting there on his sofa.

"H-how? What?" Adrien looked to his father for an explanation.

His response was a hand patting the cushion beside him, between him and his wife.

Adrien sat down beside his parents, his eyes glued to his mother. Her lips were painted into a loving smile, and she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The touch sent warmth up through his arm, further confirming that she was real. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hug her and never let her go, but the emotions that were building up in his chest since he laid eyes on her were threatening to incapacitate him, and he knew a gesture like that would render him incapable of listening to the explanation his father wanted to give him. The explanation that he seriously wanted to hear in that moment.

He reluctantly tore his eyes away from his mother and gave his attention to his father, not letting go of his mother's hand.

"Son, I've done things that I'm not proud of, but neither do I regret them. Everything I've done was for you and your mother." Gabriel began.

He looked to his wife and smiled in a way that Adrien hadn't seen him smile in a long, long time. He looked back to his son and continued,

"I'll start at the beginning, and maybe you'll understand the choices that I've had to make. I hope one day you can forgive me for all that I've done."

Adrien nodded for his father to continue.

"A few years ago your mother and I took a trip overseas. During that trip, I stumbled upon a pair of jewels, beautifully crafted and unique. Two broaches, one of a peacock and one of a butterfly. Your mother had a love for birds; they were beautiful, graceful, wild and bold, just like her, and I saw these jewels as the perfect gift.

He put his thumb and forefinger on his eyes and rubbed at the sore memory.

"Had I known what would happen, I never would've touched them."

He shook his head and continued the story.

"I presented them to your mother and she immediately fell in love with the peacock, as I knew she would. We discovered that it was no ordinary piece of jewelry when I put it on her and we were met with a glowing ball of light. Out of the light came a creature. It told us that it was called a kwami, and the jewel that I gave your mother was a miraculous.

It was very intriguing, this creature. It told us that the miraculous granted powers to the person who wore it. What it didn't tell us was that it was damaged."

Adrien saw his father grit his teeth as his eyes began to water.

"It's okay." Emilie whispered from across the couch to soothe him.

Gabriel closed his eyes and went on,

"The miraculous granted your mother power over emotion, but using it took a toll on her body. However, she refused to take it off." he choked at the memory, and a tear fell onto his cheek.

Adrien didn't know what to say. He'd never seen his father cry before. He looked to his mother who wore a sad expression on her face.

"You know I couldn't do that." She said quietly.

"It made her weaker and weaker until—We didn't know the reason she became ill from the miraculous was because it was damaged. We just believed that was the price of wearing it. It wasn't until…after… in an attempt to save her, that I decided to wear the butterfly and learned her miraculous was damaged. My kwami, Nooroo, explained to me how my miraculous worked and that by obtaining two other miraculous, the Ladybug and the Black Cat, that I could grant any wish I desired. My wish of course, was for your mother's life."

"But that means…"

"Yes, son. I became Hawkmoth."

Gabriel paused to give Adrien some time to take in the news he was pretending to not already know.

"Your mother was sick, and it wasn't something that could be cured by medicine. So I kept her close, encased in glass. Everything I've done, as Hawkmoth, my attempts to capture Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous, have been to bring your mother back. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I wouldn't change my decision."

"But how…Ladybug and Cat Noir weren't…" Adrien trailed off and looked at his mother beside him. He knew Ladybug and Cat Noir hadn't been defeated and that it was the other way around. So how did his father make his wish anyway?

Gabriel's hung his head slightly,

"They…found me…and defeated me and took my miraculous." He brought his hand to his neck, where his miraculous used to sit, remembering his defeat.

"Without Nooroo, I'd lost all hope to regain your mother, and I'd failed to keep my promise to her." A sob broke through.

"I sat by her side each night after that, believing I'd never see her again— Until tonight, when Ladybug and Cat Noir's kwamis visited me. She healed your mother. I never even knew it was possible for a kwami to use its powers on its own. I don't know why, after everything I've done, they still helped me."

Gabriel looked to his wife and son with tears in his eyes and a hint of a smile on his mouth.

"Us.

Adrien was speechless for so many reasons.

"I…" he began, but nothing came out. So many thoughts were racing through Adrien's mind. He'd hoped his father would tell him the truth, and he was glad that he had. He had many questions about where he found the miraculous and what his mother was doing with it. His father said the kwamis visited him tonight? _Of course._ He was with Marinette all night and they believed Plagg and Tikki were in the kitchen; that must've been when they left _._

His heart warmed even more towards the kwami hidden in his shirt. This was the best thing his little friend had ever done for him, and Adrien was going to make sure to thank him properly.

He leaned back in the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster that had been that entire week.

Gabriel and Emilie looked to each other. It was late, and they nodded their heads in silent agreement to let their son sleep and marinate on everything he'd just learned. They moved to stand up, but Adrien stopped them.

"Wait," he looked at both of his parents, still holding his mother's hand. "Would…would you stay here tonight?"

Maybe it was a silly thing to ask, but he'd only just gotten his mother back. He wanted to hold on for her for a little while. As for his father, Adrien's heart softened towards him a little more. Maybe it was wrong, knowing everything that his father had done. But that didn't change the fact that Gabriel was his father, and for once his family was together.

They sat back down, agreeing to stay with their son for the night.

Adrien leaned his head onto his mother's shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him. Gabriel reached over and joined his wife and son in the embrace.

* * *

The Agreste family spent next day together, enjoying the fact that their family was complete again. Despite having a private chef, they cooked and ate a large brunch together, like they did on Saturdays before Emilie fell ill. After brunch, Gabriel sat at the piano and played melodies for his family. Then he took them into the studio and showed them the designs he'd been working on.

Adrien felt a little strange being around his father, in light of the previous night's conversation and the week he'd had. How do things simply go back to normal after that? But he couldn't help but feel some happiness at seeing the beginnings of his old father return. They all knew it would take time before things settled into a working rhythm.

They took a drive around the city, and Emilie asked the driver to stop when she smelled something sweet and delicious in the air. Of course, they were outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and she urged her family to all go inside. Gabriel obliged, willing to do anything to make his wife happy, and Adrien followed. He was a little uneasy, not knowing how Marinette would react to seeing his father there.

The bell on the door rang as they entered. The usually busy shop was empty, aside from Marinette and her parents. She was laughing at something her father said when she turned around and her stopped in her tracks. Her expression displayed how clearly shocked she was to see Adrien there with his father and his mother.

As his mother went to the counter to pick out her pastries, Adrien walked over to the table where Marinette was standing.

"I'm just as shocked as you are." He said, at a volume only they could hear.

Marinette glanced from him to his family and back, not sure how to respond. She knew what Tikki and Plagg had done, but never expected to see neither Emilie nor Gabriel, especially not Gabriel, there in the flesh. Hawkmoth aside, he never left his home, and this was…

"Weird, I know." Adrien said, reading her mind.

He turned around to watch where his parents stood, talking to Marinette's parents and laughing at something one of them said. It was such a normal scene to watch, yet at the same time so strange.

Marinette looked up to see the small smile that was rested on Adrien's face, and couldn't help but mirror one of her own.

"I'm happy for you." She said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you, M'lady." He smiled at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Meet me at our spot tonight?"

She grinned back at him. "I wouldn't miss it, kitty cat."


	24. (1) Deleted Chapter 14

AN: This is a deleted chapter that takes place after Adrien learns that Meg knows who HM is. I was thinking, what would happen if they didn't have patrol that night? What lengths would Adrien go to in order to find Ladybug? Spoiler, I didn't like it enough.

* * *

Adrien snuck out of the school building. He didn't care that he was ditching classes; this was too important. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he needed to find a place to transform. Maybe if he was lucky, he could catch Ladybug on the communicators. It was a long shot, but he had to at least try.

Pacing back and forth on the rooftop of an apartment building, Cat Noir rang Ladybug on his baton, hoping by some miracle that she would answer. It went to voicemail three times before he gave up and left an urgent message.

"Ladybug, please call me as soon as you get this. It's an emergency."

He hung up and continued his pacing, unsure of what to do next. Cat Noir needed to speak to Ladybug ASAP, but because they never shared their identities with one another out of safety, he had no way of finding out where she would be. He sat and thought about all of the times they usually just _appeared_ together on the same scene; like magic. _Maybe if I think about her hard enough she'll just show up._ He sat back against a chimney and stared at his baton, willing it to ring.

With a sigh, and growing anxiety, he took off to scour the city for Ladybug. _Perhaps she'll see me and realize that I'm looking for her._ It was worth a try, so optimistically he extended his baton and headed towards the river. _Where do I even begin?_ He knew nothing about Ladybug's personal life that could give him any clues to where he could go that she'd be able to spot him.

As Cat Noir gallivanted around Paris, pieces of an idea began to enter his mind. Slowly he realized the picture. He didn't know how to find Ladybug on his own, but there was one thing that was guaranteed to draw her out. It was a bad idea, no doubt about that, but it seemed better with each passing moment that he couldn't find her. Cat Noir took in a deep breath. He was almost positive that there was a more sound decision that could be made.

 _I could just wait,_ said the rational part of his brain. _Hawk Moth has been at large all this time, so really, what's a few more days until patrol?_ This was obviously the much safer thing to do: Just sit tight, and wait. Unfortunately, sitting and waiting wasn't this Kitty's style.

Cat Noir dropped behind the school and made sure there was nobody in sight.

"Claws in." Adrien took a moment to mentally commit himself to his plan.

"Oh, no you don't! I know exactly what you're thinking." Said Plagg, catching on quickly.

"What other choice do I have, Plagg? This isn't information that I can just sit on until the next time I happen to run into Ladybug."

"And why isn't it? It's not like Hawk Moth is going anywhere."

Adrien ignored him. What was one more akuma in the grand scheme of things? If this was the price to pay for finding Ladybug and then bringing Hawk Moth down, then it was worth it. _I hope_. There was a pang of guilt in his stomach knowing what was necessary to get what he needed. He didn't like his plan any more than Plagg did, but he was out of options.

"I need to find Chloe." Adrien said as he reentered the school.

If there was anyone in all of Paris who had the most experience causing akuma attacks, it was Chloe. He was certain that with just a little push (or even without one) Chloe could say a mean thing or two, and make a little black butterfly darken the heart of an innocent bystander.

Adrien let out a sigh. He absolutely hated this plan. Not only was it a terrible thing to do, but causing an akuma could turn out to be extremely dangerous. The last few villains that Hawk Moth created almost succeeded at taking his and Ladybug's miraculous. Adrien paused. _Is this really a chance that I'm willing to take?_

He stood in the hallway contemplating his choices. Plagg was right. Hawk Moth wasn't going anywhere for now, and with any luck he'd send out an akuma on his own. _He's done it plenty of times before without my help_ , Adrien sighed again, his frustration growing.

He was still standing idly in the hallway when he heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Adrikens, there you are! Why weren't you in class?"

The opportunity that he needed to go through with this plan just presented herself to him and was getting closer. Adrien had all but abandoned this plan before Chloe showed up, but now that she was here, that had to be a sign, right? He was uneasy, still between decisions.

"H-hey, Chloe." She was standing right in front of him, Sabrina to her right.

"Well, where were you?" she asked.

"I-I was…" he scratched the back of his head looking for an answer."

"It doesn't matter." She said, brushing him off. "Adrikens, it's been too long since I've seen you outside of this loser infested dump. I want you to come over later today, and" she paused suddenly nervous. That wasn't like Chloe at all.

 _I wonder what that's about,_ his interest peaked.

"And?" he asked, trying to pull the rest out of her.

Chloe cleared her throat. "Sabrina and I usually do this on our own, but in light of recent developments we need a third…member." She reddened a little.

Adrien's brow furrowed, not quite understanding what had Chloe so embarrassed.

"Chloe wants you to play superheroes with us. I'm usually Cat Noir, and Chloe plays Ladybug, but now that she's Queen Bee I get to be Ladybug! But that means we don't have a Cat Noir, and your dad made you that really cool Cat Noir suit for Clara Nightingale's music video and…" Sabrina trailed off catching the death stare that Chloe was throwing at her.

Laughter burst out of Adrien before he could stop himself. Everyone knew that Chloe liked to pretend to be Ladybug sometimes, but the thought of joining them in running around and pretending to be, well, himself was a bit much to handle.

Chloe became even redder at Adrien's laughter, and a scowl formed across her face. She turned to take her anger out on Sabrina.

"I told you to let ME do the talking!" she yelled, and Sabrina shrank back.

"I'm sorry, Chloe." She said in her mousy voice, looking nervous and embarrassed.

 _Poor Sabrina._ _She always lets Chloe walk all over her and never stands up for herself._

Adrien instantly felt guilty for laughing. He hadn't meant to embarrass Chloe and have her take it out on Sabrina, and he was about to apologize when a thought stopped him. _Here's your chance_ , it said to him. He looked at the girls in front of them: Chloe angry with Sabrina for embarrassing her, and Sabrina embarrassed at herself for embarrassing Chloe. With the size of Chloe's ego, she would get over it as soon as the conversation moved to something else. But Sabrina was a lot more insecure and a lot more fragile. Adrien looked at Sabrina's downcast face, not liking what he was about to do.

"You're right Chloe, she should've let you do the talking." He said laughing again at Chloe's expense. A fake laugh this time, but effective all the same.

"I'm glad I don't have any friends who embarrass me all of the time.

He looked at the hurt in Sabrina's eyes and it felt a knife in his gut. This wasn't like him, and everything in him wanted to stop and apologize for hurting her feelings. But he had to finish what he started.


	25. (2) Deleted Chapter 15

AN: This is another deleted chapter, it takes place at chapter 15 where LB tells CN how she feels. This is the direction it would've taken had Chat gone first and told her about Meg before LB had a chance to tell him about her feelings.

* * *

"You first, Cat Noir." She said, hoping to buy herself a few more minutes before telling him everything she was feeling. The butterflies in her stomach were sending waves throughout her body with him standing so close.

Cat Noir tensed, cleared his throat, and stepped back, away from Ladybug.

"It's about Meg."

She frowned, his sudden change in demeanor worrying her. Ladybug knew that Meg had spoken to Cat Noir, but they hadn't addressed her in conversation yet. _Of course, he must be worried_ _about our identities being revealed._

"I don't know what, or how much she told you, but she knows the identity of Hawk Moth."

Ladybug gasped. "Are you sure?"

This was not what she expected. Meg hadn't even hinted at mentioning knowing something like that. No wonder Cat Noir was tense.

"Positive, but she wouldn't tell me who it is."

Ladybug instantly felt guilty. All evening she'd been absorbed by her feelings for Cat Noir while Meg was somewhere holding valuable information that Ladybug should've been finding out. That was her job: to find out what Meg knows. But instead, she let herself be distracted.

Not this time.

She looked at him, but he wasn't looking at her. It pained Ladybug, but Cat Noir would have to wait just a little bit longer for a confession. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but saving Paris took precedence.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." She said.

Ladybug took her yo-yo and headed off to find a place to detransform so she could call Meg. _Please pick up_.

The phone rang twice and there was an answer on the other end.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?" she sounded nervous.

"Meg! I'm glad you answered. Can you meet me somewhere? We need to talk. Privately."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Have you spoken to Cat Noir?"

Marinette hesitated, hearing the caution in Meg's question. She didn't want to give Meg any reason not to meet with her.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Marinette replied, avoiding a direct answer.

Marinette knew if she mentioned what Cat Noir had told her that Meg might not meet with her. After all, Meg hadn't told Cat Noir who Hawk Moth was and hadn't even mentioned knowing Hawk Moth's identity at all to Marinette. She needed to be careful.

"Where do you want to meet?" Meg asked.

Ladybug swung back to collect Cat Noir for the meeting with Meg.

"I made contact with her," she said landing beside him. "She's going to meet us by the river in 15 minutes."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Cat Noir extended his staff and headed in that direction, barely acknowledging Ladybug with a nod and nothing more.

She stood there for a second registering his behavior. She thought the tension earlier was about Meg and Hawk Moth, and maybe it was. But the way he left without so much as a word to Ladybug felt similar to their last patrol a few nights ago. Ladybug shook her head, _I'm over thinking._ It made sense for Cat Noir to not be himself tonight. _We've never been this close to discovering Hawk Moth before_. Getting her head in the game, Ladybug followed after Cat Noir towards the river to meet Meg.

They waited for Meg in the same spot where she and Marinette first hung out. The night was quiet, with only a few crickets and the sound of the moving water below them. Cat Noir had his back to Ladybug, focused on the river.

He hadn't spoken to her on the way over, and now he wasn't looking at her. Ladybug felt that his demeanor had less to do with Hawk Moth and more to do with her.

"Cat Noir?" she said softly.

"Yeah?" he answered lightly, still not turning to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

He turned to face her this time, and gave her a quick smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah everything's good over here."

"You just…don't seem like yourself tonight."

"Well," He turned back to face the river with a shrug, "we have important business to handle."

Ladybug studied him. They always had important business to handle, but that had never before caused him to act this way. He wasn't the silent type. It wasn't like him to not make jokes or slick comments or even look at her. Any doubt that she had about his new mood being her fault was gone.

"Cat Noir."

He turned to her again, a blank expression on his face.

"I wanted to tell you—"

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" Ladybug was cut off by the arrival of Meg.

She seemed the least bit surprised to see both of them standing there in costume. Ladybug noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Cat Noir turning to give Meg his full attention. More than he'd given her. Meg stood there nonchalantly, taking in the atmosphere around the two, and crossed her arms.

"So…" Meg prompted. No one had said a word yet. "What's going on with you two?"

Ladybug took a step towards her, pushing her personal thoughts aside, "Meg, you have to tell us what you know about Hawk Moth."

"Yeah, I figured that's what this was about." She looked at the heroes in front of her, "Other than that, have you two had a chance to talk yet?"

"What else is there to talk about?" asked Cat Noir?

Meg's eyes were trained on Ladybug, who blushed ever so slightly. She hadn't yet had a chance to tell Cat Noir how she felt about him. But this was hardly the time.

"I don't know, maybe the reason why it's so tense between you two right now." Said Meg, finally breaking eye contact with Ladybug and addressing Cat Noir.

"It'll have to wait, Meg." Said Ladybug. "Right now you need to tell us who Hawk Moth is so we can take him down."

Meg sighed. "Look, it's complicated, okay? There's a lot going on here that you don't know about, and I'll be happy to tell you. _After_ you guys talk."

"Meg—"

"Those are my conditions. I don't want to turn up the pressure, so it doesn't have to be tonight. It doesn't have to be this week.


End file.
